Junior Achievement of Arizona has named three BASIS Scottsdale students among its 2024 18 Under 18 winners.
All 18 winners have started businesses and nonprofits, broken glass ceilings, volunteered or advocated for a cause.
“They all have something in common: They are not waiting until they are adults to make a difference in the world. These Arizonan students distinguish themselves with their creativity, passion, and drive,” said Junior Achievement CEO Katherine Cecala.
“These students are excelling in the classroom and community,” she said. “Each year, we’re amazed by what they have accomplished in such a short period of time. It gives us hope that our future generations are going to be strong leaders who care deeply about the world around them.”
The BASIS Scottsdale students are:
David Guo, 17, of Fountain Hills. He combined two passions: art and community to create a nonprofit called Project HeART. David designs cards and gives free art therapy classes to promote emotional well-being, and fight isolation and loneliness amongst seniors and children in the hospital.
Fatimah Amer, 16, of Scottsdale. Fatimah founded a nonprofit at age 14 to improve food insecurity and health equity in our state. She saw a need following the pandemic and created SPARKHope to address health disparities. A researcher and entrepreneur, she’s passionate about public health and wants to use her voice to make a difference.
Sophia Lin, 16, of Scottsdale. A passionate advocate for equity and education, Sophia co-founded the nonprofit youth education service iReach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sophia’s organization has since grown to 450 members, providing educational opportunities like summer camps and tutoring for underserved youth throughout Arizona. She is also working on machine-learning simulations and data analysis to improve high-school students’ engagement and prevent high-school dropouts.
Junior Achievement of Arizona helps develop skills to manage their money, plan for their future, and make smart academic, career and economic choices.
Since 1957, the nonprofit has taught kids, kindergarten through high school, about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. JA reached approximately 170,000 students in the 2022-23 school year
Information: jaaz.org/resources.