Local non-profit the Sidekick Collective on Friday (May 15) named Lupe Vieyra, a senior at Chelan High School, as its 2015 ‘Cosmic Hero.’
The organization – first created in 2008 by then-Federal Way High student Paige Edmiston – also inducted five other Washington State students into its Hero Development Bureau.
Vieyra will receive $5000 in future seed funding for a project to make the world a better place. She was surprised by the announcement Friday, made during a school assembly, where she was celebrated by her high school peers, school staff, and Sidekick Collective volunteers. She also received a no-strings-attached $500 prize in recognition of her good work.
“The world needs to invest in young people who think a little differently and have the persistence — and heart — necessary to create real change,” said Founder Paige Edmiston. “Lupe has all of these traits and more. We believe she will make the world a better place — and inspire us all to do the same along the way.”
After her own mentorship experience as a 9th grade student, Vieyra was the first student in her high school to seek out ten at-risk middle school students and meet with them regularly as their mentor. Like the other adult mentors at her school, Vieyra wanted to be formally trained as a resilience mentor. Through her advocacy, Chelan High School became only the second school in the country to train students to become resilience mentors through the WhyTry resilience education program. Now, thirty other students in Vieyra’s school district are making a difference through mentoring.
“Lupe is a superhero for her willingness to serve and lead,” said Chelan High School Community Liaison Sarah Barnes. “The effort she has put into helping others behind the scenes has inspired her peers and adults.”
In addition to celebrating Vieyra, five other students were surprised with Special Recognition from The Sidekick Collective’s Hero Development Bureau, including Eliana Parsons from Burien’s Big Picture High School:
Click here to view the embedded video.
This year’s other honorees include:
- Elida Antunez, Thomas Jefferson High School (Federal Way, WA)
- Loren Carrillo, Lincoln High School (Tacoma, WA)
- Manjot Singh, Sammamish High School (Bellevue, WA)
- Thierry Williamson, OCEAN (Port Townsend, WA)
Vieyra and the other Hero Development Bureau honorees did not apply for this recognition. They were nominated without their knowledge by a secret nominator. Each nominee was thoroughly vetted by The Sidekick Collective team for his or her superhero qualities: thinking differently, possessing an exceptionally big heart, having a powerful origin story, and demonstrating incredible courage and fortitude.
About The Sidekick Collective
The Sidekick Collective seeks to identify and invest in the superheroes of tomorrow who are walking the halls of schools today. We share their stories to inspire — and be inspired by — a new generation of real-life superheroes for the 21st century. Combining our love of superhero mythology with a venture capitalist model, we call this “hero capitalism.”
The Sidekick Collective was founded by 23-year-old Seattle-native, Paige Edmiston. This is the nonprofit’s second year of recognizing high school students for their superhero-ism.
Learn more here: http://www.sidekickcollective.com