Alyssa Bisanz

Rachael Bisanz, Nominator

Not many teens spend their birthday cash on neighbors they don't know but Alyssa did. Touched by the tragedy of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, she used her own money to compile a disaster preparedness kit for 500 neighbors. Volunteering since the age of 13, she has logged over 650 hours volunteering at the Phoenix Zoo. Five years ago she founded Students Taking Action & Responsibility through Service (STARS), to encourage other students to volunteer.

Recently, she was elected Student Chair of the Mesa Service Learning Board, is on the marketing committee to promote Service Learning in Mesa and is a member of the Governor's Youth Commission. She also is a Youth Partnership Team member of the national America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth. With all of her volunteer activity. Alyssa still manages to earn excellent grades in school where she is in Advanced Placement classes, a member of the Environmental Club, Tennis Club President, Peer Mentor for a A World of Difference, a member of the National Honor Society, and a violin player in the school orchestra. "Volunteering is a way of life", she says. "I like to share what I do with others".