Michaela Weinstein

Albany, CA | 15

2018 Award Recipient

Michaela Weinstein co-founded Speak, a student group providing a unique curriculum that teaches empathy and social justice to 5th grade students, after a series of racist, anti-Semitic, and sexist incidents occurred at her school. The program offers two tiers of student membership for high schoolers who facilitate classroom presentations and design curriculum. In coordination with Speak’s leadership group, Michaela has created presentation lesson plans for her school district, whose teachers and principals approved the program to facilitate 38 presentations this year. In the future, Michaela plans to give teens around the country a shareable curriculum to educate their community about the power of empathy, respect, and the importance of speaking out against hate. Michaela serves as class president and has been a peer buddy with Best Buddies International for three years. She is also next year’s School Board Representative and a member of the California YMCA’s Youth and Government program.