Kaitlin Tinker, a student at VHM Christian School, Santa Cruz’ Adventist elementary school, was chosen to be one of a select group of students representing their schools, communities and states as People to People student leaders. Tinker will join other students grade 6 through 12 at the People to People Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 8-18, 2007.
Tinker was nominated and accepted based on outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential. Nominations are accepted a year in advance. All costs for the 10-day experience are included in the award.
Expanding on her own personal experience with a disabled family member (her grandmother is vision-impaired), Tinker volunteers for age-appropriate projects at a local residential program for the developmentally disabled. With her father, she is involved with the homeless outreach ministry at the Santa Cruz church and is exploring the community’s needs in the area of animal advocacy.
Building character and communication, problem solving and teamwork skills, the summits bring together outstanding student leaders from around the globe. Community service and academic coursework are the primary focus. Students work on an action plan to make a difference in their communities and develop skills to help them lead tomorrow’s world while earning academic or service-learning credit.
Students choose from numerous sites, which include Stanford University, UCLA and George Washington University.
Created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, People to People is based on his belief that, “People can make a difference where governments cannot.” Since its inception, more than 200,000 students and professionals have developed leadership skills so that they can better serve as effective leaders within their communities and organizations.
“I am so pleased and delighted to hear that Kaitlin has been recognized for the abilities that we have been able to witness and nourish while she’s been at our school,” says Principal Judy Seagraves. “Our school has a very large community presence through the annual Santa Cruz County Fair and through various outreaches from our facility. It’s so important that our children learn to reach out to the community, and this award is evidence this is having an impact.”
