Great Falls Connection

Annandale High School

In the summer of 2017, Nahom Dagnachew, Alvin Kim, and Victor Nguyen attended the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) retreat. They learned about the roles and responsibilities of being a citizen and how to become active leaders. Later, joined by Kaa-Lok Yap, they began to attend local NAKASEC youth meetings where they learned more about current events.

When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was threatened, the four decided to take action. They went to the White House where they held signs and chanted to keep DACA in place. They collected names on petitions in support of DACA and the Dream Act. They took the petitions to the offices of U.S. Congressional Representatives Barbara Comstock, Don Beyer, and Gerald Connolly, also bringing 120 handmade origami iris flowers to represent faith and hope for immigrants. In a letter to the representatives they wrote, “In America, all people — including immigrants — should have the opportunity to be with their families, to pursue happiness, and to follow their dreams.”

The four continue to devote their time to achieving their goals. During the 2017 election they canvassed and worked at a phone bank to get out the Asian-American vote. They attend NAKASEC youth meetings and joined an MLK Action Day. They also participated in DACA rallies in Washington DC, a protest in Chicago, and a sit-in at the offices of Virginia’s U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.

Cedar Lane School

Khalil Anderson and Arnaz Carter-Newman are the student leaders of the Cedar Lane Positivity Project. A growing nationwide movement, the Positivity Project helps students build strong relationships by seeing the good in themselves and others, thus creating citizens and leaders by internalizing the belief that “Other People Matter.”

This is the first year that Cedar Lane School has participated in this project, and Khalil and Arnaz agreed to lead the committee. They have been working throughout the school year to inspire strong relationships (student-to-student and student-to-teacher) and to cultivate a school-wide #OtherPeopleMatter mindset. They also planned and coordinated activities for Positivity Week, held in January. This special week included writing positive messages, working through scenarios, and receiving a visit from dogs supplied by the organization, People. Animals. Love.

In support of the Positivity Project, Arnaz said, “Sometimes just talking to someone you don’t normally talk to can make a big difference. Maybe the person is having a bad day, feeling disliked and taking it out on others. But now somebody has been nice, and so the person says ‘hi’ to someone else.” Khalil agreed, adding, “Now the two people are both in a better mood, and maybe they pass it on. That spreads more positive energy. You don’t have any idea how far it will go.”

Centreville High School

Ricardo Avalos came to the U.S. only two years ago. He quickly realized that his future, and that of other immigrant students, depended on the ability to communicate effectively with their English-speaking schoolmates.

Ricardo decided not to simply blend in with other immigrants. Instead, he became the first president of his school’s United International Students’ Association and worked to inspire students in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to resist becoming isolated. He worked closely with students of different races and cultures and, during their bi-weekly meetings, he encouraged them to relate to others outside their own group. Noticing that many students feared talking to American-born students, he developed special exercises to break down those barriers. He also invited other students to join the club to help make the foreign-born students feel more included.

Ricardo feels that his efforts have borne fruit at Centreville High School. He says that racial harmony has increased and that members of the club feel more included, make friends more easily, and are more comfortable expressing their opinions. He added, “They learned that having different points of view need not hurt friendships, so long as people respect one another.”

Ricardo is also an active member of the LearnServe Fellows program, which brings together high school students from the Washington D.C. area to learn how to create sustainable social change in their communities. He is developing a venture to help immigrant students and minorities continue with their education. He also helped to establish a series of workshops called Restoring Our Ancestral Knowledge to Live Our Indigenous Identities Across Borders.

Ricardo said, “We need leaders passionate about bringing people together and helping one another to make the world a better place to live.”

Chantilly High School

Kimberly Schmaus is a member of the Fairfax County Student Human Rights Commission (SHRC), an organization dedicated to promoting appreciation for diversity throughout the county. The group hosted a Fair Housing poster contest to highlight the concepts of diversity and equality embodied in the 50-year-old Fair Housing Act.

Members of SHRC also worked on the "Humans Of" project, creating a video to express what diversity means to them. They plan to expand this project next year to include other students in a video to be broadcast in all Fairfax County schools. In addition, SHRC created a book for elementary students about diversity and equality which they read at local schools. Kim said, "Promoting awareness of diversity increases peace and resolves conflict because it makes others more aware of the differences we all have.”

Kim is also the treasurer and a board member of her school’s Girl Up, a club that raises awareness of the oppression and struggles that girls face in Third World countries. She has written letters to members of Congress and has involved students in discussions about the need for change.

In addition, Kim is the historian/editor of her school’s International Awareness Club, an organization that helps spread awareness of diversity, cultural differences, and international issues. She ensured that a book the club wrote for ESOL students (English for Speakers of Other Languages) was grammatically correct and included elements they would need to learn English. "Not only did the book help ESOL students understand English, but it also promoted peace because it showed them that others view them kindly," Kim said.

Fairfax High School

Four years ago, as ISIS forces invaded northern Iraq, Stran Kurdi felt compelled to act. Responding to the deep concerns of her parents, who were in communication with their extended family in Baghdad, she helped to mobilize family and friends to found Kurdish AID (KAID), a registered 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization devoted to supporting Iraqi Kurds displaced by war. She said, “We all came together to help those who didn’t have a voice. We fundraised and we created community-wide events to educate others about the refugee crisis in the Middle East.”

So far, KAID has raised approximately $10,000 for Kurdish refugees. According to Stran, all money raised has been spent on items such as food and school supplies to help students return to their studies after their towns were ravaged by war.

Stran formed a KAID club at Fairfax High School to motivate people to volunteer and to share insights about Kurdistan, refugees, and other pressing international affairs. She also leads Fairfax High School’s Model United Nations.

Stran has had two healthcare internships and has volunteered with the grassroots organization, Americans for Prosperity. She hopes to study medicine in college and pursue a career as a doctor or nurse, possibly working for an international service organization. She says she wants to share the benefits of the opportunities she has received growing up in Northern Virginia.

Hayfield Secondary School

Carmen Mazyck is a founding member and past communications chair of the Hayfield Black Student Union (HBSU). She also established and designed the organization’s logo and motto: Educate, Serve, and Inspire.

As its current president, Carmen has arranged for guest speakers at monthly meetings, including civil rights activist and Freedom Rider, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Carmen also led the club’s efforts to provide gifts for 40 “angels” on the Salvation Army Christmas Tree. Additionally, she coordinated other service projects including Project Giveback (a food drive) at Thanksgiving, a day of service at Hayfield Secondary School on MLK Day, and educational trips to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Carmen organized her school’s first student minority panel, comprised of members of different races, religions, and cultures. Muslim students on the panel spoke about the emphasis on education in their homes. Another student shared his experiences of living in an interracial family while others emphasized how colorism caused division in marriages and relationships. Most of the 50 students who attended found the conversation valuable and said they felt comfortable discussing these often-difficult topics not generally presented in the classroom.

Carmen summarizes her efforts by saying, “There cannot be peace until we learn how to embrace and celebrate our unique differences and blended cultures. Only then can we better serve our communities and inspire others to do the same.”

Herndon High School

Joyce Lee draws her commitment to service from the inspiration she finds in the diversity of Herndon High School and the Herndon-Reston area which together she calls a "very supportive community." Joyce said, "I'm inspired by everyone around me. It's important to use your passion to help others."