2011-2012: Ye Eun (Zoey) Jeong

Zoey is the Education Officer for Amnesty International at her high school. She has sought to raise awareness of human rights abuses, educating her club about the crises in North Korea, Burma, and the Middle East. She hosted a documentary screening, staged an in-school protest, and engaged the club in a building project.

2013-2014: Kaylee McGuffin, Senior

Kaylee McGuffin became a member of Amnesty International three years ago after attending a meeting and seeing how passionate its members were about the work they were doing. She is now the President of the Amnesty International Club at her high school.

As president, Kaylee is responsible for helping to organize the annual ‘write-a-thon’, an international event to make others aware of injustice. This year’s projects include supporting a gay-rights advocate who was beaten by police in Belarus, an Ethiopian journalist who is facing prison for supporting freedom of speech, a woman tortured by police in Mexico, and a Palestinian village occupied by Israeli military forces resulting in two deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Kaylee assisted with ‘Jamnesty’, a music-based fundraiser. Students in Madison High School perform, and the audience has a chance to learn more about Amnesty International’s projects and to sign petitions. Kaylee also attended several conferences, gathering with other student leaders to learn more about social justice. She participated in various Amnesty International sponsored marches, including a protest of the US-issued drone strikes in the Middle East, which have killed many innocent civilians.

Kaylee says that “Being president of the organization has increased my confidence as a public speaker and activist. I would like to encourage future members of Amnesty International to become more active outside the school environment.”

At the local level, Kaylee has mentored elementary school students and served as an academic tutor for an adult with special needs. While in college she hopes to further her knowledge of social justice issues.

2014-2015: Grace Rogers, Senior

Grace Rogers was in middle school when her older sister became president of the Amnesty International Club at Madison. Her knowledge of Amnesty International and its activities inspired Grace to join the club as a freshman the following year. Over the past three years, she has had an opportunity to learn more about global human rights issues and to participate in club-sponsored activities such as an annual letter-writing campaign and the popular Jamnesty fund-raising concert.

Now a senior and herself president of the Amnesty International Club, Grace hoped to reach out to non-members in a new way. A class in Combatting Intolerance inspired Grace to offer a larger conversation on various topics relating to intolerance and human rights. Under her guidance, the club hosted its first "Debate Day", a school-wide discussion of controversial topics such as the death penalty and gun ownership rights. Career Center Specialist Lynn Otto states, "Grace's goal was to create an environment for students to comfortably discuss issues that are often discouraged in classroom settings." The Debate Day was such a success that plans are in the works for a second Debate Day before the end of the school year.

Aware of the attention recently given by the press to sexual assault on college campuses, Grace believes that conversation should begin in high school. To encourage such a discussion, Grace wrote an article on the prevalence of abusive relationships in high schools, which was published in the school paper, The Hawk Talk. She hopes her article will call attention to the shortcomings of Virginia public schools’ coverage of sexual assault and abusive relationships.

Grace plans to study journalism in college. She loves to write and talk to people, and she believes writing is the best way she can make change happen.

2015-2016: Kenzie Hines, Senior

Kenzie Hines has been a member of her school's Amnesty International Club since her sophomore year. She was instrumental in the success of the club's ‘Write for Rights’ campaign, which encourages students to write letters on behalf of ‘prisoners of conscience’ in the US and elsewhere in the world. She was also successful in setting up digital petition stations where students could read about human rights issues and sign online petitions to pressure politicians and governments to take action. Last year's campaign resulted in the release of a prisoner, which Kenzie cites as proof that "Individual efforts of people can be successful."

Madison’s Amnesty International Club provides after-school discussion forums for all students on controversial human rights topics. Kenzie helped to organize and moderated discussions on a range of topics including gun violence, assisted suicide, and the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis.

For two years, Kenzie has led the planning and implementing of the annual Jamnesty concert at Madison High School. This popular event, offered in a coffeehouse/lounge atmosphere, combines the talents of student musicians with information on human rights issues.

2016-2017: Sean Doyle, Senior

Sean Doyle grew up learning from his grandmother and great-uncles about social justice and civil rights. This background, combined with his own interests, inspired him to join the Madison Amnesty International (AI) Club.

When Sean attended an AI Regional Conference in Philadelphia, he met people of all ages who face human rights issues. He now spends his free time meeting with other activists to coordinate efforts to address issues ranging from abolishing the death penalty to reducing gun violence and police brutality. This year, AI’s main focus is on the refugee crises worldwide, and Sean is working to convince the Vienna Town Council to name Vienna an “I Welcome” refugees town.

Sean received an AI internship as a Student Activist Coordinator. In this position he acts as a large-scale organizer and leader for ten local Amnesty school groups, plans major regional and statewide events, and spearheads the latest campaigns. Sean believes, “Students like to be involved, but they don’t know how. It is my job to show them the way.”

Sean is in a mixed English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) homeroom class which is evenly divided between native English and native Spanish speakers. The intention is to help ESOL students feel less isolated and more a part of the school community. Sean uses the Spanish he is learning for general communication and for tutoring the Spanish-speaking ESOL students.

“Sean is a thoughtful, non-judgmental young adult, open to considering all perspectives before weighing in with his own opinion,” says Daniel Blanchet, his history teacher. Sean’s passion has led him to the goal of becoming a lawyer specializing in social justice and human rights.

2017-2018: Allison Janowski and Katie Oliveira, Seniors

Katie Oliveira and Allison Janowski are now serving for the second year as co-presidents of their school’s chapter of Amnesty International, helping to increase and diversify the membership.  They created and implemented “Debate Day,” an annual event where people with various backgrounds and points of view can talk in a safe environment.  They are currently working on educating others about the existence of three Family Detention Centers in the US that violate the human rights of immigrants.

2018-2019: Hannan Mumtaz, Senior

After battling her own mental health issues, Hannan Mumtaz wrote to the Fairfax County Public School Board asking them to place more emphasis on the problem. When she did not get the strong and immediate response she had hoped for, she decided to turn her sadness and anger into advocacy.

Hannan started a club, “Madison Minds Matter” to help other teens struggling with mental health issues. For additional guidance she worked with the Josh Anderson Foundation, PRS CrisisLink, and the S.A.F.E. Project.

Madison Minds Matter meets once or twice a month, with about 20-50 students attending each meeting. Their goal is to provide an outlet for students to express themselves. The club has hosted talks by professionals and discussions about coping strategies. Hannan says, “We are not group-therapy, but students empower one another to seek a professional therapist who can help them.”

Hannan led Madison Minds Matter in creating advocacy videos for the school’s morning news program. The group held several gatherings, including a “Parents Mental Health Night” to educate parents on how to communicate with their teens, and a student-faculty forum on gun violence. Hannan currently serves on the School Health Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the School Board that drafts legislation for the Board to consider.

Hannan’s teacher, Shani Moser, says, “Her passion for just, progressive action and globally responsible citizenship is exemplary, and Hannan actively lives her beliefs, motivating other young people to find their voices.”

2019-2020: Daphne May, Senior

“Talking isn't enough. We need to move from talk to action,” says Daphne May about her involvement in the Amnesty International (AI) Club of Madison. Since she became a member her freshman year, Daphne has been active in a variety of programs that focus on national and international human rights issues.

Daphne has served as the president of Madison’s AI Club for the last two years. She organized Debate Day to provide students with varying views the opportunity to discuss controversial topics such as the death penalty. Club Sponsor Daniel Blanchet noted that during Daphne’s tenure, "the Club's membership has grown exponentially as has its variety of programs and community outreach.”

Daphne is also responsible for planning Jamnesty, an annual fundraiser for AI. The group holds auditions and selects about 10 individuals and groups to perform.

Club members deliver human rights talks between acts, and they show videos about various issues. Attendees are encouraged to sign AI petitions.”

Inspired by the desire to foster positive change, Daphne works with an elementary school student through a school-sponsored mentorship program. She says she has watched this student grow over their time together and has found their interactions both rewarding and educational.

Daphne also took part in a program at Operation Understanding DC, addressing the tension between the African American and Jewish communities. There she facilitated activities that promote peace, understanding, compassion, and empathy, with the goal of encouraging participants to start programs to promote positive change in their communities.

Although she has many accomplishments, Daphne says she is most proud of the positive influence that her many hours of community involvement in voter registration, activism, and education have had on her younger sister, who has joined her as an active participant in the AI Club.