Drum roll please: The winners of the "18 Under 18" contest

Sometimes the future looks bleak, but knowing there are young folks in Brew City who might really make a difference someday makes it seem a little more hopeful. That said, OnMilwaukee.com is proud to recognize 18 of the city’s brightest and most motivated young people who will most likely make positive contributions someday.

This is the second year of the annual “18 Under 18” contest, and like last year, OnMilwaukee.com received lots of submissions. It was difficult to narrow down the nominees, but OMC eventually chose 18 young Milwaukeeans -- between the ages of 12 and 18 -- who are working very hard and very passionately in their daily lives.

For some kids, this translates into a wall of trophies and certificates, but for others, especially those who succeed in the face of adversity, recognition is a rare occurrence. In any case, OnMilwaukee.com is proud to honor the following 18 young people as the 2007 winners of the “18 Under 18” contest.

Joel Boyd, 14
Lincoln Center for the Arts
Joel excels at acting and playing the trumpet in the LCA jazz band while maintaining an extremely high GPA.  This year alone, he has been the lead (Wilbur) in LCA's production of “Charlotte's Web” and the lead (Jonas) in First Stage Children's Theater's production of “The Giver.”  He won first place in the Forensics State Tournament this past March, and all of his teachers consistently rave about him.

Adriana Bravo, 12
Notre Dame Middle School
As a class leader in a community service project last semester, Adriana helped raise over $500 for children in Africa to buy shoes to go to school. This semester she’s working on two similar projects, one to raise money for students in Monterrey, Mexico and another to buy a hen for a family in Guatemala. Eventually, Adriana hopes to translate her passion for science and children into becoming a pediatrician.

John Brock, 17
Riverside University High School
John is an honor roll student who received many trophies and recognitions in a variety of sports, including football and track. Currently, he is a teacher’s assistant at Riverside. He works hard to be a positive role model in his community and serves as a strong male figure in his family.

Tatum Cochran
Whitefish Bay High School
Tatum has a strong background in community service. She is a member of Bay Attitudes, an organization that helps children in third world countries. She has volunteered at the Wisconsin Humane Society, making Valentine’s Day biscuits for all of the dogs. She also organized a car wash to raise money for Camp One Step, a camp for children with cancer, and a bake sale to help girls in Afghanistan pay for an education.

Jamie Crape, 17
Brianna Davis, 17
Brookfield East High School
Brianna and Jamie were nominated together because they consistently work as a team. According to the teacher who nominated them, “They are two of the most charismatic, charitable and passionate individuals I have had the pleasure of knowing throughout my 13 years in education.” Together, they planned Brookfield East’s Black History Month Assembly during which they received a standing ovation for their moving performance of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou.  Additionally, Brianna and Jaimee were instrumental in creating a video commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and organizing a student panel comprised of African American students who worked with teachers to promote diversity in education.

Acacia Holmes, 13
Morse Middle School
Acacia is a 4.0 student who has been on the honor roll throughout middle school -- and previously in grade school -- for every marking period.  She is a member of the Junior National Honor Society, has been on the school newspaper for two years, and runs on the track team for Morse. Acacia mentors her younger sisters Girl Scout troop once a month and assists with organizing their camping trips. Acacia will attend Rufus King High School this fall.

DeAndre Hudson, 13
Lincoln Center for the Arts
DeAndre has been heavily involved in LCA's Drama and Music Departments this school year.  He also won first place at the Forensics State Tournament, plays the trumpet extremely well in jazz band and gets good grades.

Erica Lorenzo, 13
Lincoln Center for the Arts
Erica shines in drama, music and her academics at LCA.  Her dramatic efforts this year have included roles in First Stage's production of “Esperanza Rising” (Marta) and LCA's “Charlotte's Web” (Charlotte).  She also completed with three others in Group Interpretation for the school’s Forensics team.  Erica also sings in one of Lincoln’s choirs (all of which received the highest scores possible at the WSMA Choral Contest).  She performed a solo for Solo and Ensemble earlier this month and received a top rating. 

Leontynie Lynn McGuire, 16
Hamilton High School
Leontynie maintains a 3.0 grade point average in school, works at Culver's part time and babysits when she can to make extra money.  Meanwhile, she is responsible for her younger brother and sister after school when she is not working, and does much of the cooking, cleaning and laundry because her mom is a working single parent. She is also very involved with helping a friend -- who is a single father -- raise his 1-year-old daughter.

Stella Mayerhoff, 13
Whitefish Bay High School
Earlier this year, Stella was named Wisconsin’s top Middle School youth volunteer by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. She has raised thousands of dollars to fight childhood cancer, and she recently donated her hair to “Locks for Love.”

Nichelle Montriel, 17
Riverside High School
Nichelle is a junior at Riverside and has been involved with PEARLS for Teen Girls for three years. She is very active at her school, having recently participated in the “Box City” project to raise money for the homeless. As part of being in PEARLS, Nichelle set two goals for herself and achieved both: refraining from sex until marriage and making the honor roll all through high school.  She has been a teen facilitator for two years and currently is assigned to facilitate middle school girls. Though currently undecided on her field of study when she attends college (likely Hampton University in Virginia), Nichelle thinks she will pursue chemistry, pre-med or nursing.

Steve Olikara, 17
Brookfield East High School
Steve is an exceptional student, musician and active member in the school’s Nutrition Club. According to the teacher who nominated Steve for the contest, ”Steve is making positive choices and is a role-model at school. He always takes time from his busy schedule to extend a hand or make someone's day with a friendly hello. Without hesitation, he is a fabulous kid.”

Mykelia Putman, 17
New School for Community Service
Mykelia has been the student body president at her school and on numerous occasions has been a PEARLS girl spokesperson. Her passion for public speaking should serve her well when she applies to a business management program at any one of her top three choices for college: Florida A&M, Fisk University or Hampton University. She plans to get her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees within five years.

David Pflughoeft, 16
Menomonee Falls High School
David was a finalist in the Century 21 Jr. Home Run Contest at age 12, and has been a little league umpire since he was 13. He started writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "Jump" page at age 14, and currently writes for OnMilwaukee.com’s Kids & Family section. David also has a black belt in Karate, and he plays football, baseball and runs track at Menomonee Falls High School. He is consistently on the honor roll, holds a part-time job at McDonald's and is an active member in the teen group at Brookside Baptist Church.

Malayia Roper, 13
Messmer High School
Malayia was the valedictorian for Messmer Prep School with a GPA of 4.2 (Yes, a 4.2!). She now attends Messmer High School where she maintains a 4.1 GPA. She is involved in several extracurricular events, including choir, theatre appreciation and stage performances. Malayia also has been involved with Strive Media as a writer for GUMBO Magazine for two years, and is a member of the Trio Academy Pre College Program, Student Success Program and the Future Leaders Program -- all through UWM.

Justine Shorter, 16
Messmer High School
Justine is assistant editor of GUMBO Teen magazine, an intern (at just 16) at the MATC Times, and she had an article published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Justine interviewed Maya Angelou and hopes to interview Barack Obama in the near future. (She contacts his “people” regularly; not taking “no” for an answer.) The most extraordinary thing about Justine is that she is legally blind, but has not let it stand in her way.

Stephanie Sulik, 17
Pius XI High School
Stephanie is straight-A student who is involved in sports (volleyball and softball), clubs (she started an animal rights group at Pius) and community service. Stephanie is also the leader in her homeroom, and organizes the school’s annual fundraising drive and monthly birthday party. Stephanie is a promising artist who won a 10,000 “gold key” award. She is one of only five gold portfolio winners in the country, and she not only receives $10,000 in scholarship money, but also was recognized in a ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
 
Karly Wallace, 18 (she was 17 at the time of nomination)
Waukesha South High School
Karly, who plans to go into the medical field, ranks first in her 2007 graduating class of the Waukesha Academy of Health Professions. She was recently named the Young Woman of Tomorrow Award for Waukesha County, has a cumulative GPA of 4.0+, qualifies as a scholar athlete and serves as State President of the Wisconsin chapter of Health Occupations Student of America (HOSA). She is on the varsity tennis and softball teams, and a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Service Learning and Health Occupations Students of America. Also, Karly completed hundreds of hours of volunteerism through serving seniors and adults with disabilities.