Of the more than 100 students nominated, winners across a dozen categories were awarded scholarships and recognized for their volunteer work and contributions to the community.
More than 100 Sonoma County high school seniors were honored Wednesday night for their innovation, leadership and community service at the 36th annual Celebrate Community Youth Service Awards.
Of the more than 100 students nominated, winners across a dozen categories were awarded scholarships and recognized for their volunteer work and contributions to the community.
The event, hosted by The Press Democrat and sponsored by Oliver’s Market, was held at the Friedman Event Center in Santa Rosa. Besides the honorees, it was attended by their parents, friends and family members who gathered to celebrate them.
Below is a breakdown of the 2025 winners and their contributions:
Jack McMahon serves as the president of his school’s Future Farmers of America chapter and president of the 4-H club.
McMahon co-chaired a “Farm Day,” event at his school to bring hundreds of young students to Sonoma Valley High School to learn about livestock, sustainable food production and viticulture.
With dreams of pursuing a future in agribusiness, McMahon has also organized a number of volunteer opportunities like canned food drives and garden work at a senior living facility.
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As the president of Montgomery High School’s Ballet Folklórico Club, Leilah-Louise Cuenca has choreographed more than 20 dances for different events and organized workshops to teach dance to students from different backgrounds.
She has put the money she earned during performances back into the club for costumes.
Cuenca, who also serves as the president of her school’s book, chess and mental health clubs, mentors young children at Camp Tule and Finley Dance Camp and accompanies her school’s choir on piano.
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Kaeden Anderson has donated more than 200 hours of his time to volunteering at the Lake Sonoma Race Series, helping coordinate race logistics, course prep and drone videography.
In 2024, Anderson helped revive the historic Fitch Mountain Footrace, raising over $8,000 for local track and cross-country athletes and ensured that 30 kids could participate regardless of the cost.
The Fitch Mountain Footrace is a beloved Healdsburg Father’s Day tradition and required months of planning and securing sponsors.
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As the founder of the Advocates for Sex Education Club, Eden Glass helped reinstate comprehensive sex education at Maria Carrillo High School.
Glass’ advocacy work led to the implementation of a comprehensive curriculum across five high schools, impacting more than 3,000 students.
After graduating from high school, Glass who has served as an intern for Rep. Mike Thompson and vice chair of the Sonoma County Junior Commission on the Status of Women, hopes to focus on reproductive justice advocacy.
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Luna Dator has completed over 30 service projects with 19 different organizations throughout her four years of high school.
Dator works with Miracle League North Bay, serving as a buddy to athletes with disabilities to help them play baseball.
As a member of Girls in Service, Dator has volunteered her time contributing to local environmental work, distributing food with Redwood Empire Food Bank and more in her Rohnert Park community.
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A proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and a first-generation Latinx leader, Esmeralda Tellez-Ferreyra was named the Northern California Youth of the Year in 2024 for her advocacy that has reached local and state officials.
Tellez-Ferreyra has led discussions about mental health, LGBTQ+ identity and racial equity in churches, schools and the broader community.
Through activism, storytelling and leadership, Tellez-Ferreyra hopes to empower others to speak up and celebrate who they are.
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Gloria Reyes-Mitchell is a lead docent at the Petaluma Wildlife Museum, where she designs and delivers tours of the museum for touring elementary schools and leads the museum’s biodiversity zone.
Reyes-Mitchell has helped train other docents and helps students learn about environmental threats caused by humans.
As a mentor in her school’s Link Crew program, Reyes-Mitchell has helped welcome incoming freshmen to campus.
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A certified nursing assistant and co-chair of Kaiser Permanente’s Teen Advisory Council, Sara Fields is dedicated to fostering mental and physical well-being across the county.
Fields has helped design and lead the “Parent-ectomy” initiative at Kaiser Permanent, working towards teen-doctor privacy and creating a teen-specific waiting room.
Fields, who founded Windsor High School’s National Alliance on Mental Illness Club after identifying disordered eating in a close friend, hopes to become a nurse and health care advocate in the future.
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Summer Cole serves as the editor-in-chief of The Casa Revista, Casa Grande High School’s student newspaper.
Cole worked first as a member of the broadcast team and rose to the ranks of assistant producer.
After the program’s funding was cut, Cole dual-enrolled at Petaluma High School to keep the town’s only student newspaper alive and has led a team of 20 to publish four issues highlighting student voices and achievements.
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Dulce Soto serves as a youth promoter for Latino Service Providers, a lead intern for the organization Los Cien and a leader at MECha and Dragones Latinx.
Soto has helped moderate panels on systemic inequities, worked to expand access to immigration support and mental health services.
Soto will attend Stanford University in the fall and hopes to create a more equitable future one dialogue at a time.
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Sierra Anderson hopes to pursue a career as a doctor and work to reduce educational disparities among children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Anderson has organized supplies for foster families, led ceramics camps to empower children, purchased gifts for children in need and provided companionship for isolated seniors.
Her dedication to community service began when she lived in Alaska, working at the Food Bank of Anchorage.
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Vita Langst has demonstrated a dedication to environmental science, serving as a volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center logging over 400 hours caring for injured elephant seals, sea lions and fur seals.
Langst serves as a kitchen lead and future harbor seal crew member.
Langst hopes to shape the future of conservation and has served as a lead keeper and docent for the Petaluma Wildlife Museum, overseeing care for more than 50 animals.
Contact Staff Writer Anna Armstrong at 707-521-5255 or anna.armstrong@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @annavarmstrongg.

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