2011-2012: David Tannenbaum

David used his own money and efforts to assist the people of Darfur by serving as an intern with the Save Darfur Coalition, writing a blog to help illuminate the Darfurese plight, and forming Woodson4Darfur, a club dedicated to raising funds for the people of Darfur and promoting awareness in the school community.

2012-2013: Faith Johnson, Junior

With an interest in acting, Faith has had the opportunity to integrate her efforts with a wide variety of people. Career Center Specialist Kathleen Ishii, describes Faith as “an even-tempered young woman with a love of theater which allows her to try on a variety of persona and to work with an even broader spectrum of people to express a dramatic whole."

Faith was raised by loving parents in a co-operative in Chicago. Her mother served as a social worker, and her example provided Faith with great empathy for those less fortunate. Faith says she was taught that when an immense darkness fills a person’s heart, she can be that person’s light.

Putting her philosophy into action, volunteering has been a major part of Faith's experiences since she was nine years old, but she recognized the importance of giving back from a much earlier age. She recalls growing up spending her Easters serving dinners at a halfway house for people in transition, and she says she wouldn’t have spent them any other way.

Faith has worked on feeding the homeless on her own time and with groups of friends who assist her in passing out sandwiches and water bottles on the streets of DC. She has also helped the residents at Arden Courts, an assisted living home in Springfield, and served as a volunteer counselor at Soaring Over Seven Seas, a camp in McLean for children with special needs.

Ms. Sheila McNiff, her AP Psychology teacher, describes Faith as a natural peacemaker. She observes, "Faith does not really consider herself to be a life changer, but she is. She can explain information so it makes things less threatening. She contributes and finds middle ground in the classroom. She is a born negotiator with the ability to pacify all and make everyone feel wanted, needed, and welcomed.”

Faith summarizes, "My hope is to show the world that peace is an attainable goal for all mankind through dramatic expression, outreach, and compassion for others. I want to support the growth of human equality through personal example and the encouragement of peaceful activities."

2013-2014: Jordan Feltcorn, Senior

Jordan Feltcorn is dedicated to helping teenagers make choices that protect their mental and physical health; specifically with respect to bullying, drunk driving, and suicide prevention. Jordan restored Woodson’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club by increasing visibility, generating student interest, recruiting a strong group of members, and garnering support and donations from within the business community. SADD works to educate students about the threats posed by bullying, drinking (and driving), distracted driving, and suicide. To help students better understand what it is like to drive while impaired by alcohol, SADD provided goggles that simulate the visual and balance impairment of someone who is drunk.

Jordan is also working with a teen actor, who portrays a drunk driver, to develop a public service announcement. Jordan plans to play the announcement each Friday over the school’s public address system, in the hope that students will be more cautious over the weekend.

Kathleen Ishii, Career Center Specialist, says, “Jordan actively works to diffuse and discourage bullying whenever and wherever he can. Jordan’s willingness to act has a long-term effect on everyone’s well-being.” Jordan points out, “Bullying negatively affects both the victim and the bully. We work to help victims of bullying as well as the bullies to deter them from continuing. Bullying is the number one reason for suicides in teens, and the number of teen suicides needs to be dramatically reduced if not eliminated.”

Jordan also volunteers with Fairfax County Emergency Medical Services and has responded to calls that were the result of bullying, drugs, and drunk driving. Two calls in particular, one for a student who was drugged and beaten at a party and another for a young adult who had overdosed on medication, made an impression on Jordan that drives his desire to help make the community safer and healthier in every way that he can.

2015-2016: Daniel Kim, Junior

Last summer, Daniel Kim sought information about the underlying causes of violence. After research, he found that a major cause of global conflicts is a lack of access to clean water which leads to economic crises, regional conflicts over wells, and drops in levels of basic education. He learned of the Water Project, an international charity which builds wells in African communities. He recruited his younger brother and together they begin a tutoring program for elementary and middle school students, with the profits going to this organization. At the end of the summer, they had raised $1000 for the Water Project. As Daniel says, “We sought to improve education for students in our own neighborhood while improving the lives of other children internationally.”

Daniel also seeks to assist in his own community. He volunteers extensively at homeless shelters and food drives, and delivers presents and meal packages to homes of financially disadvantaged families. In addition, he and his friends formed a group, Cantabile Chamber Orchestra, to visit and perform for local nursing homes each month.

Working with Crescendo Music Education, a nonprofit organization run by high school students in the Fairfax area, Daniel and his friends provide financially disadvantaged young people with a musical education, equip them with instruments, and develop personal relationships with each student. They not only teach discipline through careful practice, but also provide accessible educational opportunities for the underprivileged and promote a sense of community. In addition, they regularly perform for charity events.

At his school, where Daniel serves as an officer in various clubs, Career Center Specialist Kathleen Ishii describes him as "the voice of reason that diffuses contentious discussions as well a calm young man whose demeanor can help others to relax."

2017-2018: Yousof Omeish, Senior

Yousof Omeish founded Woodson’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA). Under his leadership, the organization has fostered increased tolerance and understanding among the various student organizations. Members of MSA visited each ninth-grade World History class to give a presentation on Islam and dispel misconceptions.  When a controversial speaker was invited to campus -- known for presenting what Yousof feels is false information about Islam -- Yousef worked with his principal and other affected organizations to plan a program that would respect both First Amendment rights and be balanced.  Yousof continues a tradition of leadership in his family: his two older sisters Abrar and Anwar were also recipients of the Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County.

2018-2019: Xuan Huynh, Junior

Xuan Huynh, who regularly has to explain that her name is pronounced “sun,” says she learned the values of fairness and inclusion as a middle child in her family and as a child of Vietnamese immigrants. She believes that growing up immersed in both Vietnamese and American cultures gave her the

opportunity to decide which aspects of each she wanted to embrace. Career Center Specialist Kathleen Ishii says, “Xuan understands the prejudices people can have and how important it is to minimize the gaps in understanding within communities.”

Xuan is a participating artist in the Youth Art Re-Imagining Community Program, formed by a partnership between the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and Police Department and George Mason University School of Art. The goal is to use youth art (such as poetry, photography, and banners) to address social and racial inequities. The art serves as a catalyst for discussions in regional centers and mosques in underserved communities. Recent topics have included racism and cultural intolerance and intergenerational roles in community development.

Xuan also served at Virginia Institute of Technology as a U.S. Student Ambassador in the cross-cultural Tech Girls 2018 summer program, organized by Legacy International and the State Department of Educational and Cultural Affairs. For three weeks, young girls from the Middle East and North Africa were exposed to studies in science, technology, computers, and math, and completed leadership training seminars.

Inspired by her experiences promoting dialogue and understanding, Xuan says she wants to continue to focus on empowering the ignored and silenced members of society.