High School teens were honored on January 24th at the 10th Anniversary of the Walgreens Expressions Challenge Awards Ceremony in Chicago! Joined and supported by their teachers, family and elected officials, winners received recognition and awards for utilizing their creative voice on issues that impact them and their peers. We were honored to share their powerful work that promotes Walgreens’ mission of wellness and youth empowerment.
The Ceremony
It was a fabulous evening kicked off by our special guests, the Southland College Prep Charter High School Choir. They were generous enough to perform three inspirational songs for everyone during the reception.
Emmy award winning Fox Reporter, Tia Ewing was the emcee for the evening and kept our program moving along smoothly as she too celebrated the winners. Author Jonathan Banks, our keynote speaker for the evening, gave everyone powerful advice for being the best you can be.
Congressman Danny Davis also joined us in recognizing our winners. Congressman Davis has showed his impassioned dedication to health and wellness in his community by supporting youth initiatives. It’s always a joy to have elected officials who truly care and recognize the work that the youth are creating. Chicago Public School’s Chief of Teaching and Learning, Shirley Chavarria, also joined us in celebrating the youth. Shirley’s work with Chicago Public Schools helps high school students all over the city attain a rich and prosperous education.
During the Ceremony, our winners had an opportunity to go on stage and talk about their work. They shared powerful inspiration for which everyone showed immense admiration for. The winners created visual arts, creative writing and multi-media entries centered around a number of topics including mental health, teen pregnancy, LGBTQ awareness, and self-esteem. They spoke about how important these issues were in their communities and why they need to be talked about.
Full List of Winners:
Creative Writing
1st Place – Claire von Ebers
2nd Place – Ashley Camargo
Visual Arts
1st Place – Amy Paniagua
2nd Place – Khang Tran, Alexee Aitken
Media Arts
1st Place – Izaac Lopez, Hope Hildebrandt
2nd Place – Nova Valenzuela
People’s Champ
1st Place – Natalie Awisha
2nd Place – Jaiden Gerena
That wraps up the 2019 Expressions Challenge in Chicago! We want to thank all of the teens who participated and their great teachers for the continued support of the Expressions Challenge. You all made our 10th year the best yet. We cannot wait to see what’s next in 2020 and we hope you join us in encouraging all teens to express what matters to them.