Phoenix Young Man/Young Woman of the Year Chosen

March 6, 2002

The Phoenix Youth and Education Commission has announced the winners of the 2002 Outstanding Young Man/Young Woman of the Year Awards, a scholarship program that recognizes outstanding Phoenix youth.

David McDevitt (left) and Stephanie Cheng (right), both juniors at North Canyon High School in District 2, are the Outstanding Young Man and Young Woman of the Year. They were selected from a group of 14 finalists chosen from the city's eight City Council districts.

McDevitt is ranked seventh in his class, maintaining a grade point average of 4.667 in the International Baccalaureate Program at North Canyon. He is co-president of the Dollars for Scholars club, which helps raise money to send students to college, and he participates in the March of Dimes and Paradise Valley S.T.A.R.S. McDevitt's extracurricular activities include soccer and playing the acoustic, electric and bass guitars.

Cheng is ranked first in her class, with a weighted grade point average of 4.926. She also is enrolled in North Canyon's International Baccalaureate Program and has been involved in the school's March of Dimes organization, helping to raise funds for the group. She serves as a student demonstrator at the Arizona Science Center and volunteers at Good Samaritan Hospital. In her spare time, she studies ballet.

District 2 Councilwoman Peggy Neely, who represents both of this year's winners, said, "I am thrilled to have both the Outstanding Young Man and Outstanding Young Woman for 2002 coming from the Paradise Valley Unified School District. I want to congratulate Stephanie and David, their teachers and counselors and, most importantly, their families for helping to make this achievement possible."

The 18th annual awards program solicited entries from students in grades nine through 11. Applicants were evaluated on their leadership ability, community involvement and commitment to excellence. Applicants also wrote brief essays on how to improve school safety and wrote about which teacher had the greatest impact on their lives.

The teacher who made the most impact on McDevitt is English teacher Linda Maley, who helped him change the way he approaches his studies and who demonstrates each day what a true work ethic really is. The teacher who made the most impact on Cheng is freshman earth science teacher Lynn Fraser, who shows a true love for science and cultivates academic independence in her students.

City Council members presented the awards to McDevitt and Cheng, along with the district finalists, during a recent luncheon hosted by the Phoenix Rotary Club 100, Soroptimist International of Phoenix and the Phoenix Youth and Education Commission. Each district winner received a plaque and $250 cash award, and overall winners McDevitt and Cheng each received an additional $1,000 cash award. The district finalists are:

 

District 1:	Tiffany Lok, Greenway High School sophomore
District 2:	David McDevitt, North Canyon High School junior Stephanie Cheng, North Canyon High School junior
District 3:	John Fahy, Thunderbird High School sophomore Kate Glantz, North High School sophomore
District 4:	Daniel Duran, Sunnyslope High School junior Lisa Maiden, Sunnyslope High School junior
District 5:	Elizabeth Primero, Maryvale High School junior
District 6:	Uven Chong, Desert Vista High School sophomore Christina Kwong, Desert Vista High School sophomore
District 7:	Branden Cole, Brophy College junior Courtney Johnson, Cesar Chavez High School junior
District 8:	Brian Swan, South Mountain High School junior Cecilia Saenz, Camelback High School sophomore

Media Contact:

Christiana Ferris

602-262-6169

LaVonne Morris

602-262-6052