2007-08 Student of the Year
Sasha Willingham
Russellville, Alabama
Sasha Willingham of Russellville, Alabama, is the 2007-2008 SADD National Student of the Year. She is also a member of the Alabama SADD Student Leadership Council. She most recently served as a member of the Executive Committee of the 2006-2007 SADD National Student Leadership Council.
She has been a very active SADD student for the past six years. In her role as an Executive Committee member of the 2006-2007 SLC, she gave a presentation at the Safe and Drug Free School Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and she was a member of the Field Services working group. She also was instrumental in planning the 2007 SADD National Conference and Masquerade Ball. Sasha has been an attendee at the SADD National conference since 2004.
In addition to her work with SADD, Sasha is also a committed volunteer. She has worked for the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. She has also spent time with children and the mentally disabled. Her most rewarding experience has been helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina in her home state. She helped give a reception for Katrina victims, and she also collected Christmas presents to donate to displaced families who could not make it home for the holidays.
At Russellville High School, Sasha was an excellent student and she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. She was also involved in many activities. She was the senior class president and was also crowned the 2006 Homecoming Queen. Sasha is also a talented athlete and was captain of the girls’ basketball team. Also a musician who has played the clarinet for six years, Sasha served as the Chaplain of her high school marching band.
Sasha will be a freshman at Jacksonville State University in Alabama in the fall.
Executive Committee
Jacob Holm
Rural Valley City, North Dakota
Jacob Holm of Rural Valley City, North Dakota, is the 2006-2007 North Dakota SADD Student of the Year. He has also been a member of the Northern Lights SADD Advisory Board for two years. A SADD student for four years, he served most recently as the treasurer of his high school SADD chapter. He also served as student council president at Maple Valley High School.
He is proudest of his involvement in starting multiple new chapters across North Dakota. He has been working with the North Dakota legislature to implement an alcohol tax increase to support prevention programs in North Dakota.
In addition to working with SADD, Jacob is an active participant in his community. He is also working with the North Dakota legislature on the educational system in North Dakota. He is the North Dakota FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) president and was named one of six North Dakota Distinguished Students in 2006.
Jacob will be a freshman biology and pre-medicine major at the University of Mary in North Dakota in the fall.
Alexandra Boncek
Nags Head, North Carolina
Alexandra Boncek of Nags Head, North Carolina, is a member and co-chair of the North Carolina SADD Student Advisory Board. She has been a SADD student for four years and her SADD chapter’s president for two years. In her role as chapter president, she has been involved in the planning of a variety of activities for her SADD chapter, including Prom Promise, Sexual Assault Awareness Day, and the annual mock car crash.
A graduate of Manteo High School, Alexandra is an excellent student and was a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and the National Honor Society. She was also the editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook and the advertising/business manager of the school newspaper. She has also represented her high school on the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council for two years and Teen Court for the past four.
Alexandra will be a freshman political science major at Peace College in Raleigh, North Carolina, in the fall.
Robby DeVillez
Fullerton, California
Robby DeVillez of Fullerton, California, has been a member of SADD for three years and will be the 2007-2008 president for his SADD chapter at Ayala High School in Chino Hills. He has been involved in a variety of SADD activities, including “Every 15 Minutes.” After meeting SADD members from Louisiana at the 2006 SADD National Conference in Washington, D.C., Robby realized how important it was to help the New Orleans community. He presented his SADD chapter with “Project CAL-LA Kids.” His chapter and school shipped more than 100 boxes of school supplies to the Terrebonne School in the New Orleans area. Robby also helped organize the first-ever “Health and Safety Week” at his school; the week included presentations from MADD, Dr. David Sabet of “JourneySafe,” and the S.K.I.D.S. Program.
In addition to his SADD activities, Robby is active at school as well. He was the freshman class representative and the publicity officer. He is also an athlete and is a member of the cross-country, track, and basketball teams. He will be in his fourth year of American Sign Language at Ayala High School, and he enjoys working with students with special needs.
Robby is also an excellent student, and he is a member of the California Scholastic Federation and the National Honor Society. He will be a senior at Ayala High School this fall and would like to attend a Southern California university to major in Public Relations, Film Production, and/or Directing.
Jeannie Harrison
Nitro, West Virginia
Jeannie Harrison of Nitro, West Virginia, is a member of the West Virginia SADD Student Leadership Council. As president of her SADD chapter at Poca High School, she was involved in many SADD activities, including Red Ribbon Week, the Chain of Life, and Grim Reaper Day. She also presented a workshop at the 2006 SADD National Conference in Boston on Drowsy Driving.
In addition to her commitment to SADD, Jeannie was also the president of the RAZE chapter at her school for four years. RAZE is a tobacco prevention group whose aim is to educate peers about the dangers of tobacco use and the manipulation of teens by the tobacco companies.
Jeannie was active in other school activities as well. She was a student council officer for three years, and she also served as Spanish Club president.
In the fall, Jeannie will be a freshman at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where she will study creative writing and photography.
Jesse Hoffman-Klaucke
South Chatham, Massachusetts
Jesse Hoffman-Klaucke of South Chatham, Massachusetts, is a member of the Massachusetts SADD Student Advisory Board. He has been a member of SADD for two years and has quickly taken on many leadership roles.
He is the president of Chatham High School’s SADD chapter. He helped his chapter with a middle school underage drinking prevention campaign. He also participated in staging a mock car crash and bringing in a guest speaker to his school.
In addition to his work with SADD, Jesse is involved in other school activities. He has been class president for the past two years and is the photo editor of the school’s newspaper, The Devil’s Advocate. He is also an athlete, and he serves as co-captain of the varsity sailing team.
Jesse will be a senior at Chatham High School in the fall.
Kelsea Larsen
Shelton, Washington
Kelsea Larsen of Shelton, Washington, is a co-facilitator of the Washington State SADD Youth Advisory Board and the Mason County Drug Abuse Prevention student representative. She has been a SADD student for five years and has held a variety of leadership positions, most recently serving as Shelton High School’s SADD chapter publicist. She participated in the SADD SPEAKs program at the 2005 SADD National Conference in Washington, D.C. and also helped plan the National Student Safety Program conference in 2003. She was also Shelton Middle School’s first SADD president.
In addition to her SADD involvement, Kelsea is very active in other school activities. She is the DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) president and the Washington DECA Area 8 president. Fifty years ago, DECA was organized to achieve an ambitious goal: to improve educational and career opportunities for American students. At Shelton High School, Kelsea was the secretary of the associated student body and was voted Most Spirited Senior.
Kelsea will be a freshman marketing major at Pierce College in the fall.
Joseph Laston
Williamstown, Vermont
Joseph Laston of Williamstown, Vermont, has been active in SADD activities for three years. He is serving his second term as a member of the Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program Youth Advisory Council and he was the 2005-2006 VTLSP state representative. He also played a major role in SADD’s 25th Birthday Bash given by Vermont at the 2006 SADD National Conference in Boston as a member of the planning committee. In addition to attending last year’s conference, he attended the 2005 SADD National Conference in Washington, D.C.
He has other interests in addition to his involvement with SADD. Joseph has earned his first-degree black belt in TaeKwon-Do. He is dedicated to mentoring and helping younger children, and he is a religious educator at his church and a Peer Trainer for A World of Difference.
A graduate of Chelsea Public High School in Vermont, Joseph will be a freshman physical education major at Castleton State College in Vermont in the fall.
Katelyn Pontore
Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Katelyn Pontore of Edinboro, Pennsylvania, joined SADD when she was a sophomore at General McLane High School, and she has been active ever since. Most recently Katelyn served as president of her high school’s SADD chapter, and in that role she was involved in a variety of SADD activities. She helped with compliance checks with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. She participated in Red Ribbon Week, the Great American Smokeout, and Project Sticker Shock. She also attended many state prevention conferences.
A committed student, she was also a member of Students for Academic Excellence and the National Honor Society, and she has been on the principal’s honor roll. In addition to her studies and SADD, Katelyn was very involved at General McLane High School activities. She was the service chair on the student council and a member of the ski club, the pep club, the golf club, and the spring choir. Katelyn also makes time to participate in her community. Her favorite community-service event was Santa’s Workshop, where she made crafts with underprivileged elementary school children.
Katelyn will be a freshman pharmacy major at West Virginia University in the fall.
Daniel Ramsey
Charlottesville,
Indiana
Danny Ramsey of Charlottesville, Indiana, was the 2005 Indiana SADD Student of the Year and has been a member of Indiana Student Leadership Council since 2005. He joined SADD as a freshman at Eastern Hancock High School and has been in leadership roles ever since.
He has been active in a variety of SADD activities at his high school. He was the writer and director of two SADD plays. He took a leadership role when his SADD chapter approached the principal of his high school to make the school tobacco free. They succeeded and received an award from the state on their efforts.
At Eastern Hancock High School, he is a member of the National Honor Society and the student council. In addition to his SADD and school activities, Danny finds time for community activities. He is the 4-H club president and the co-chair of the United Way of Central Indiana Youth as Resources.
Danny will be a senior in the fall.
Emily Smith
Clewiston, Florida
Emily Smith of Clewiston, Florida, is the 2007-2008 FLORIDA SADD Student of the Year. She also represents region seven on the FLORIDA SADD Student Advisory Board. She has held many SADD leadership positions, including serving as president of Clewiston High School’s SADD chapter. She was featured in Allstate commercials with 2006-2007 SADD National Student of the Year Daniel Vocelle, and she was instrumental in planning and delivering the FLORIDA SADD Leadership Summit with the Florida Student Advisory Board.
In addition to fulfilling her SADD responsibilities, Emily is active in her community. She was honored as Miss Sugar 2007, and she is the public relations committee head for the Florida Youth Prevention Delegation. She is originally from Durban, South Africa, and she lived for a short while in North Dakota when her family first came to the United States.
Emily is also an excellent student, and she is a LEAD Scholar for the University of Central Florida, where she will be a freshman in the fall.
Stephen Winkler
Seneca, Kansas
Stephen Winkler of Seneca, Kansas, is a member of the Kansas SADD Student Leadership Council. He joined SADD in his freshman year at Nemaha Valley High School and currently is vice president of his chapter. He will be a senior in the fall.
During his time with SADD, Stephen has participated in a variety of activities. One of his favorite and most memorable activities was a Parent Awareness Night. His chapter invited all parents of students in grades 7-12 to the school for an evening of speakers and discussion about the issues teens face today. He was also a youth trainer for the Kansas Youth Leadership Summit.
An excellent student, Stephen is a member of the National Honor Society. He is also active in other school activities – as an editor of the yearbook, a member of the forensics team, and a participant in school plays, as well as cross-country and basketball. He is also active in his community and currently serves as a student mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Youth Advisor
Daniel Vocelle
Vero Beach, Florida
Daniel Vocelle is the 2006-2007 SADD National Student of the Year and the FLORIDA SADD Student of the Year. As the FLORIDA SADD Student of the Year and a member of the FLORIDA SADD Student Advisory Board, Daniel helped plan many SADD campaigns, served as a youth spokesperson at functions and events throughout Florida, and worked closely with other organizations on alcohol prevention. He lobbied Members of Congress in Washington, D.C., for mandatory keg registration and a ratings system on alcoholic advertisements.
Making a difference in the lives of others has always been important to Daniel, which is why he joined SADD. A 2006 graduate of Sebastian River High School, he was a dedicated SADD student for four years and served as president of his chapter during his junior and senior years. Daniel was instrumental in staging mock DUI crashes, and his SADD chapter used footage from last year’s mock crash to create a public service announcement that aired across the state and on MTV and VH1.
As SADD National Student of the Year, Daniel represented SADD at many events. He was the National spokesperson for the UR the Spokesperson campaign. He spoke to media across the country about the importance of youth speaking up in the car when a driver is driving recklessly. He also attended the first ever Youth Assembly for Global Road Safety as one of three US delegates in Geneva, Switzerland.
Daniel is an excellent student. He was a 2006 International Baccalaureate Diploma Recipient and graduated from high school with a 4.45 weighted grade point average. He was chosen to serve as a representative for Florida American Legion Boys State, a youth leadership program for high school juniors. An accomplished athlete, Daniel also played on the varsity wrestling and lacrosse teams.
He currently attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he is a chemical and bimolecular engineering major. When he graduates, he would like to work as a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company to help develop medication that can prolong and save lives. In his free time, Daniel is a Freshman Orientation Leader and is working on implementing SADD’s message in college.
