STUDENTS AGAINST VIOLENCE EVERYWHERE ~
MEET THE 2010 - 2011 NATIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD (YAB) MEMBERS

Nigel Cox
School: Farmville Central High School, NC
Advisor: Brad Woodard
Grade: Junior

Nigel Cox is a junior at Farmville Central High School. He has been an active member of SAVE for six years. Those past six years have been awesome! Nigel has been elected to serve as vice chair on the 2010-2011 National SAVE YAB. He has also held leadership positions in his school's SAVE chapter which have given him opportunities to learn responsibility. The first position Nigel held was vice president for the 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 school years, sergeant of arms in 2007-2008, and his newly elected position as president for the 2010-2011 school year. His experience as a vice president, sergeant of arms, and president have enhanced his leadership skills and enabled him to work with a diverse group of people.

Along with being a member of SAVE, Nigel is involved with the youth in his church. He likes to keep the kids involved and to let them know what is going on around the world. He also works with his grandparent's franchise to keep himself from getting involved with any destructive decisions. In addition, Nigel mime dances with youths his age and younger to teach them about responsibility.

Through Nigel's experience with SAVE, he has learned while also having fun. Being a member of the Youth Advisory Board, he hopes to bring more ideas and bring those ideas and others back home to Farmville. Nigel says, "I'm looking forward to this year's Youth Advisory Board and to see what the future brings me."

Dinh Doan
School: Thomas Jefferson High School, CO
Advisor: Kris Bethscheider
Grade: Junior

Dinh Doan is a Junior at Thomas Jefferson High School. He was introduced to SAVE three years ago by a fellow YAB member. When Dinh learned about SAVE he thought it sounded interesting. He thinks violence is a worldwide problem and he feels this is how he is going to help and do his part in the world. As a YABer for the 2010 -2011 school year he hopes to use this opportunity to get more of his fellow peers to be involved and to help his community. Dinh enjoys going to the park to play basketball, football, tennis, and baseball with his friends. During spare time he likes to read and spend time with his family. Dinh is an Honor Roll student, he has received a Mile High Scholar award, he's apart of Gear-Up and he has outstanding leadership skills. Outside of school he does community service, daycare, and he is an assistant elementary school basketball coach. Dinh believes violence prevention is by taking any opportunities fix the problem than to do nothing at all. In his words “it is better to be a rescuer than a bystander.”

Shadezja Garrett
School: North Chicago Community High School, Chicago, IL
Advisor: Cherrivon Lloyd
Grade: Sophomore

Shadezja Garrett is a sophomore at North Chicago Community High School in North Chicago, Illinois. This is her second year in SAVE and her first year on the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) upon which she has been elected to serve as sergeant of arms. She is often described as energetic, funny, multi-talented, and dedicated to her activities. She's never afraid to make mistakes and loves to share and learn ideas from her peers.

Shadezja's goal in SAVE is to tell everyone about violence prevention and encourage others to do the same. "Violence doesn't solve problems, it creates them," Shadezja says. "In the end of it, there will be nothing but broken hearts and bones." As a YABer, she wants to instill in others her thoughts and ideas and see a stop to all violence in the future.

Shadezja is in many activities including basketball, JROTC, cross-country, and drum line. She loves to draw, rap, sing, hang-out with friends, and go shopping. She performed at the Inauguration Parade for President Obama as a member of the National Champions Team, the Angel Drill Team. She hopes to major in performing arts and play professional basketball. If basketball doesn't work out, she wants to be a game designer or an artist.

Candy Gonzalez
School: Montbello High School, Denver, CO
Advisor: Kris Bethscheider
Grade: Junior

Candy Gonzalez is a Junior at Montbello High School in Denver, Colorado. This is Candy's fourth year involved in SAVE and her third year on the National Youth Advisory Board (YAB). Candy is very committed to what she does and is a leader. Candy says" Violence is a huge problem. We know we can't stop all the violence. But if we are not doing anything to solve it, then were being a part of the problem." She would describe herself as a friendly, caring, and very dedicated and committed person.

In Candy's spare time she likes to read, draw, volunteer, play the viola, and anything fun. She enjoys camping in the mountains, snowboarding, and traveling. She does volunteer work for her school and community including local hospitals, schools, churches, Children's Museum, Division of Wild Life and non-profit organizations. Candy has participated in the Martin Luther King Parade, as well as the Veteran's Day Parade for three years now. She has also volunteered in the Susan G. Komen Race for Cure, "Doing a little bit can make a huge impact on someone's life." She has received the JROTC US Army Recruiting Command Award for Achievement and the Superior Junior Cadet Decoration Award.

This will be Candy's third year in ROTC, third year on the Honor Platoon and her first year as the Honor Platoon Drill Team's Executive Officer. She is the Color Guard Commander, and is her Battalion's Command Sergeant Major. She is also a part of Montbello High School's Tennis Team, Orchestra, City-Wide Orchestra, and is on her school's Honor Roll. Outside of school she is involved in Church of Ascension's Youth Group, and E.L.K.(Environmental Learning for Kids).

Morgan Kowitz
School: Wilmot Union High School, Genoa City, WI
Advisor: Jessica Runte
Grade: Freshman

Morgan Kowitz is a freshman at Wilmot Union High School, located in Wilmot, Wisconsin. This is his second year being an official member of SAVE . In the Randall Elementary SAVE chapter, he was the president. At Randall, Morgan was also a member of the Peer Mediator’s group, worked in the school store, and was a member of Music Excel and the Choir. He is looking forward to attending Wilmot Union High School. The Randall SAVE Chapter’s Advisor, Mrs. Kathy Mudroch wrote: “Morgan was instrumental in starting Randall Consolidated School’s SAVE Chapter. He not only started our chapter, but also was instrumental in keeping our chapter focused. Through our SAVE Chapter, he has earned the respect of his peers.” Morgan’s hobbies include video games, anime and drawing. After high school, he would like to become a video game designer.

Carl Miles Jr.
School: E. A. Laney High School, Wilmington, NC
Advisor: Beth Scheirer
Grade: Senior

My name is Carl Edward Miles, Jr. and I am part of the 2010-2011 graduating class at E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. I was born on October 28, 1992 in Fairfax, Virginia and lived in Maryland prior to moving to Wilmington. I have been involved with SAVE for about three years now, and have been elected to serve as sergeant of arms on the 2010-2011 National SAVE YAB, and president of my school’s chapter for the 2010-2011 school year. I first joined SAVE during my freshman year because of my good friends and have been apart ever since. The thing that kept me in SAVE even when my two friends left was the chance to better myself and my community. Being in SAVE I feel like I have accomplished just that by going through peer mediation, doing the rock-a-thon, teen safety driving survey, helping at the boys and girls clubs, and helping with the mock crash. It has helped me learn to deal with different people, situations and enhance my ability to effectively socialize.

Other groups that I participate in at school include Beta Club, Latin Club, Peer Mediators, Buc Buddies, ROCAME and dodge ball. Outside of school I am a junior volunteer at the hospital, vice-president of the achievers club, and part of the YMCA leaders club (an organization that builds strong leaders in the community through physical activity and Christian values).

After graduation I plan on attending college and continuing my volunteer work. I would like to major in engineering and minor in computer programming. I look forward to being a member of SAVE in the upcoming year.

James Phagan (JP) Wilson
School: IRA High School, Ira, TX
Advisor: Katrina Reynolds
Grade: Senior

J. P. Wilson is a senior at Ira High School which is a small school in Ira, TX. The entire school has only about three hundred kids in it! This is his third year as a SAVE member. He served as his SAVE chapter's president for the 2009-2010 school year and was reelected to serve again this year. He is very excited to be selected as a National Youth Advisory Board member and is serving as secretary for the 2010-2011 school year. He feels that he now has the opportunity to make the world a better place. He hopes to accomplish many things this school year but his main goal is to start as many new chapters as possible to help spread the word of SAVE. He loves SAVE and believes it's a very good organization that is making a positive impact on the youth of our nation today! From the day he joined SAVE, he knew this was the program for him because he's always striving to strengthen his school and community and to make this world a better place to live. He loves the fact that there are thousands of other kids just like him that want to put an end to violence. J.P. participated in many different service projects with his SAVE chapter and was also recognized as the 2009-2010 SAVE Student of the Year. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, FFA, Fellowship of Christian Students, runs track and is very involved in his church and all of its activities. He is involved in his community through Meals on Wheels. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, spending time with his family and pets, and just having fun. He looks forward to the challenges set before him and is very excited about the opportunity of being on the National Youth Advisory Board.

John Scott
School: West Charlotte Magnet High School, Charlotte, NC
Advisor: Tabitha Miller
Grade: Senior

John Scott is a senior and is approaching his fourth year as a SAVE member and second as a National SAVE Youth Advisory Board member. He has been elected to serve as historian and public relations officer on the 2010-2011 National SAVE YAB and has also held leadership positions in his school’s chapter including president for the 2009-2010 school year, and historian for the 2008-2009 school year. John displays his care for violence prevention through his willingness to be there for others no matter what they need. John participates in programs like JROTC and emerging leaders which focus on making students better citizens through leadership classes and the like. Some of the service learning projects John has participated in are the junior achievement program which is when high school students learn a class and go and teach it to elementary students at partner schools and the peer mentor program. John takes a huge role in violence prevention at his school, West Charlotte High. As the president of his chapter, he has organized many violence prevention marches and candlelight vigils. John presents himself as a presentable and an easy to approach person at school making it easy for underclassmen and other peers to approach him with problems and concerns. After high school John plans on attending the University of Phoenix, where he will major in child affairs and social working. John feels that nothing can change until you teach the ones who are going to be doing the changing.

Casey Story
School: Garner Magnet High School, Garner, NC
Advisor: Vicki Szarek
Grade: Senior

Casey Story is a senior at Garner Magnet High School in Garner, North Carolina. This year will be Casey's seventh year in SAVE and fourth year on the National Youth Advisory Board. Casey has been elected to serve as chair on the 2010-2011 National SAVE YAB. She served as co-chair on the National YAB for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school years, and has held leadership positions in her school’s chapter including president. She was awarded the National SAVE Middle School Student of the Year for 2006-2007 as well as the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Casey has always been interested in violence prevention. As a SAVE member, and just as a person, Casey does all she can to prevent and end violence. She tries to befriend all kinds of people, especially those who are bullied, and is there to defend others to prevent fights and more bullying. Casey performs community service projects and gets others involved to make her community more violence-free. She has been the president of her chapter at Garner Magnet High School for the past two years, and took many leadership roles when she was a part of East Garner Magnet Middle School's SAVE chapter. Casey has been active with Chorus, Choral Council, Invisible Children, Beta Club, Spanish Club, different Drama productions, Girl Scouts and with her Church Youth Group. She believes that constructive activities is one of the many ways to prevent violence and tries to get others involved with SAVE too.

For Further Information:
If you are interested in serving on the National SAVE Youth Advisory Board you can call the National Association of SAVE at (919) 661-7800 or 866-343-SAVE.

National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere SAVE: Youth Voices... Grown-Up Choices! Toll Free 866-343-SAVE For more information contact cwray@nationalsave.org   /   Copyright 2012