2 weeks Ago By Daily Post Staff
GTA has named the winners of its 2024-2025 Youth Leader Program, which highlighted outstanding student projects aligned with GTA Gives initiatives, GTA announced in a press release. This year’s program was highly competitive, with over 60 applicants, GTA said. Five finalists were recognized for their innovative, community-focused projects, and two top winners were awarded for their exceptional efforts.
Top five finalists Alyssa Marie Pangelinan – junior, Simon Sanchez High School (Project: Street of Dreams); Segundo Garrido – senior, Tiyan High School (Project: Gollai for Guam); Dina Soriano – senior, John F. Kennedy High School (Project: Revitalize Cocos Crossing); Kai Landen Duenas – junior, Guam High School (Project: GTA Grows); and Jamie Xu – junior, St. John’s School (Project: Music Gives).
Top two winners Among the finalists, the top two winners, Alyssa Marie Pangelinan and Segundo Garrido, were awarded a $1,000 scholarship and 100,000 airline miles each to attend approved competitions or conferences. Pangelinan's project, Street of Dreams, focuses on distributing care packages containing hygiene products, clothes, blankets and food to underserved individuals, supported by fundraising events and awareness campaigns led by students. Garrido's project, Gollai for Guam, emphasizes gardening with resource-efficient waste management, aiming to teach local families about growing crops, reducing waste, and composting.
Through GTA Gives, these top two winners will receive direct financial support and essential resources to bring their community projects to life, GTA said, enabling them to create a lasting impact on Guam’s communities. GTA's commitment ensures these young leaders have everything they need to turn their vision into reality, fostering meaningful change across the island, the company said in the release. First introduced in 2019 as a key initiative of GTA Gives, the Youth Leader Program invites high school students with a GPA of 3.
0 or higher to propose innovative projects addressing Guam’s unique needs. Students are evaluated based on academic achievement, project originality, feasibility and potential community impact. This year’s winners were recognized Wednesday at the GTA Experience Center in Tamuning.
“Through the Youth Leader Program, GTA Gives aims to inspire the next generation of leaders,” said Sharon Davis, GTA vice president of community engagement and external affairs. “We are honored to support projects that reflect our shared values of community, collaboration and impact, helping to build a stronger, more connected Guam.”.
