Oak Forest High School Students Earn National Awards For Community Service Impact

Oak Forest High School is delighted to announce 60 students are being recognized by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView in the seventh Annual Community Service Impact Awards. This program, open to all U.S. students, has been designed to connect student community service activities, skill development, and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world. The Kroger Co. is presenting the fifth annual Zero Hero Awards to students for taking action to help create communities free of hunger and waste.

“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. They also present a unique opportunity for UN member states, grassroots organizations and advocates to work together to create a better future for everyone,” says Rachel Bowen Pittman, Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the USA. “Youth play a pivotal role in driving change forward, now more than ever. As an intergenerational movement of dedicated Americans, UNA-USA is committed to supporting the work of the vital work of the United Nations and SDGs. We are thrilled to partner with InnerView again this year and celebrate the impact youth have made in advancing the SDGs. Congratulations to this year’s awardees for their dedication and inspired action!”

Students from Oak Forest High School delivered the most impact for SDG 3 - Good Health & Well-Being. As part of a national youth leadership program, Ryan Lipsett - class of 2025,  served on the National Mental Health | Youth Advisory Committee with Creative Visions, #CreateConnectCare. Schools with a collective student impact above 2,000 hours of service, the equivalent of a full time employee, are recognized with a School Impact Award.  We are thrilled to acknowledge students from Oak Forest High School have invested  6,004 + hours in community needs: earning the Emerald Award.

High school students have a strong perspective on the most challenging issues and needs facing our communities. These awardees exemplify young leadership, harnessing their passion and skills to enact positive change in their communities and beyond,” says Kristine Sturgeon, CEO of InnerView Technologies. “We feel privileged to work alongside these change-makers daily, supporting their journey, unlocking opportunities, and commemorating their achievements." 

A key artifact students gain through the Award Program is the development of a digital service resume for use in job and college applications to demonstrate personal commitment, 21st century skills, and key areas of interest. The three-tier award program recognizes a range of student achievement: Merit for 30 hours, Honor for 60 hours and Ambassador for 100 hours of service this school year and special recognition for a focus on Zero Hunger and Zero Waste.

Our awardees are:

Ambassador Awardees: Adri Bille, Amber Kingston, Ian Kuehl, Fiona O’Neill, Gabriele Poceviciute, Kaylah Villalobos, Tanya Wiseman

Honor Awardees: Mariam AbuTayeh, Jacklyn Grant, Jenna Hughes, Michael Kelly, Abdulgafahr Lawal, Joey Lindemulder, Alexa Marousek, Bridget Munch, Chloe Parker, Zoe Plautz, Olivia See, Mariah Stubbs, Nicholas Sweis

Merit Awardees: Ariana Agler, Vincent Alaska, Isabella Albrecht, Anthony Barbato, Jacob Barrera, Brooke Berwanger, Grace Bradley, Cheyenne Breitbarth, Grace Brown, Ethan Coe, Nicole Darling, Amy Diaz, Ian Doll, Micheal Echols, Lillian Everitt, Abigail Frias, Parker Griffin, Joshua Hladyshewsky, Emily Houlihan, Sarah Jensen, Emily Jones, Katarzyna Jurasik, Hannah Karadsheh, Kayla Kelly, Jordyn Klusacek, Isabella Lisenko, Michael Manrique, Niharika Navni, Nathan Powers, Alex Prim, Madison Prim, Samantha Rank, Ashley Richter, Gabriel Salman, Scott Sosnowski, Inahmi Soto, Abigail Visser, Jessica Youssef

Zero Hero Awardees: Jacob Barrera, Amber Kingston, Brian Paladin