Featured Alumni
This area is dedicated to HOBY’s OUTSTANDING alumni and the accomplishments they have made. Whether through doing community service, realizing personal and professional dreams, or starting their own non-profits, HOBY alumni are changing the world for the better.
Do you know of a notable alumna/us or have news of your own to share? E-mail us at alumni@hoby.org.
Young Outstanding Alumni Award Semi-Finalists
Congratulations! HOBY is honored to announce the 25 semi-finalists for our Young Outstanding Alumni Award. Together, these 25 individuals donated a combined total of over 8400 hours of service to their communities! Each semi-finalist will receive a certificate and special HOBY pin mailed to you. You also may be featured in an upcoming HOBY publication, on our facebook page or maybe on a poster or brochure. You have proven yourselves the best of the best and all are deserving of this great honor. The winners from among the 25 will be announced before Feb. 1 and have the opportunity to attend our New York Gala on April 22 at The Plaza Hotel. For more information on our NY event, click here.
Jacob Adamson, Salida, CO
Juan David Aristizabal, Bogota, Columbia
Elizabeth (Beth) Awalt, Cockeysville, MD
Nicole Berg, Glendale, AZ
Connor Brady, Ashboro, NC
Alexis "Lexi" Browning, Milton, WV
Justin Buck, Hot Springs, AR
Jillian Carney, Scott Depot, WV
Kevin Chavez, Northport, NY
Virginia "Ginny" Creager, Longmont, CO
Margaret Antonia DeOliveira, Berkeley Heights, NJ
Carlos Gomez, El Paso, TX
Sarah Heiser, Tucson, AZ
Anna-Lisa Hernandez, Eagle Pass, TX
Sarah Hibbert, Pocatello, ID
Heather Hicks, Farmville, VA
Isra Hussain, Lincoln, RI
Breanna Lincoski, Daisytown, PA
Charles "Chaz" Lowery, Virginia Beach, VA
Ben Lutz, Marietta, GA
Gretchen Mohr, Long Grove, IA
Hyla Rachwal, Los Angeles, CA
Ashton Richards, South Jordan, UT
Keagan Sakai-Kawada, Hilo, HI
Kaitlin Weideman, Louisville, CO
MARTA BELCHER
HOBY ALUMNI CA Los Angeles, 2006
"I came to HOBY with drive and ambition, but I left with a vision and a purpose. Spending a few enlightening days among the leaders of today and tomorrow was, for me, not just an inspiration to work toward a better world -- it was an imperative."
Marta was inspired by HOBY to create a long-term vision and make an immediate impact. Marta is the executive director of No Worries Now, a nonprofit dedicated to immediately improving the lives of teens with life-threatening illnesses through proms and other programs. Realizing that umbilical cord blood can cure leukemia and other cancers that many No Worries Now patients are battling, Marta developed public cord blood banking legislation efforts at the state and national levels. She also made a documentary on the topic. Marta graduated Cal Berkeley in 2012 and is attending Harvard Law School.
JOSHUA FORD
HOBY ALUMNI NY WEST AND WLC, 2005, JUNIOR COUNSELOR AND SPEAKER
"HOBY has provided me with inspiration, lifelong friends, and hope for a better world; what better gifts could I ask for?"
After taking a year to teach English and work in a school in Ecuador, Joshua attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar graduating from the Honors Program in 2012. He received the scholarship due to his participation at HOBY's WLC. Joshua started three non-profits: Project H.E.L.P improves access to and quality of education in rural Ecuador. GoMeal! combats food waste in Chapel Hill, NC and GenerAction inspires a culture of social awareness and responsibility among youth while engaging in social action. He worked at the White House honoring fallen members of the military, the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa and with the Maasai tribe in Northern Tanzania. Joshua is a Fulbright Scholar studying international business and entrepreneurship in Mexico City.
ABIGAIL WHEELER
HOBY ALUMNI CA CENTRAL AND WLC, 2009
"HOBY gave me the confidence to be myself, the desire to continually learn in every situation, the inspiration to not just talk about making a difference but to actually do it, and the tools to be successful in this life."
After Abby's inspirational weekend at HOBY, she founded the Wasco Kids Club, a mentoring and community service program for elementary school children run by high school students one Saturday a month. Their mission is to inspire children to live up to their full potential and instill a sense of community service and a desire to serve others in a fun and entertaining way. Over 1,000 Elementary School and 500 High School students participated in Wasco Kids Club projects, including making blankets for an orphanage in Mexico, raising money for the Red Cross and Alex's Lemonade Stand and writing letters and sending gifts to soldiers serving overseas. With over 900 hours of service since 2009, Abby attends Azusa Pacific University and continues to be involved in leadership and service, including Wasco Kids Club and HOBY.
MICHAEL YOUNG
HOBY ALUMNI AZ AND WLC, 2009
"My HOBY experience has helped me significantly to develop my networking and leadership skills, motivated me to start a non-profit organization called The Swing Fore Kids Foundation, and inspired me to be a role model for others."
Michael is the Founder and Director of The Swing Fore Kids Golf Classic, a charity golf tournament that he started. Over the past six years, he has raised over $300,000 in net profit for The Animal Assisted Therapy Program at Phoenix Children's Hospital. His charity golf event has directly impacted thousands of children in Arizona, and he has been able to more than double the size of the pet therapy program at Phoenix Children's. In addition to the tournament, Michael brings a "taste of the golf course" to the patients and their families at the hospital each year by hosting an annual "Golf Day" and teaming up with the Southwest Section of the PGA. Patients learn to putt and perfect their swings. Michael was honored at the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as one of People Magazine and Major League Baseball's All-Stars Among Us Winners.