ICMYI: Operation Homefront Announces Top 5 Finalists for Military Child of the Year® Award
Congratulations to the top 5 finalists for 2018 Military Child of the Year® Award!
Six Military Child of the Year® Award recipients will represent each branch of the armed forces — the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard — for their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life. The seventh award is the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation presented by global technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. This award goes to a military child who has designed a bold and creative solution to address a local, regional or global challenge.
The Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation recipient will work directly with a Booz Allen Hamilton team to develop a plan to help scale the recipient’s project — drawing on technology and strategic thinking as a part of the corporation’s competitive Summer Games.
The following are the 2018 Military Child of the Year® Award finalists by service branch. Finalists for the 2018 Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation are also designated:
Air Force
Eve Glenn, 16, Tampa, FL (Glenn is also one of 4 finalists for the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation)
Hannah Cheater, 17, Las Vegas, NV
Benjamin Rawald, 15, Del Rio, TX
Braden Westby, 18, Vilonia, AR
Madison Williams, 18, Monument, CO
Army
Rachel Ball, 17, Springfield, VA
Elizabeth Clinger, 17, Colorado Springs, CO
Hunter Hotaling, 16, Lansing, KS
Bryce Kim, 17, El Paso, TX
Rebekah Paxton, 17, Harrisonville, MO
Coast Guard
Allison Brozusky, 17, Middletown, RI
Roark Corson, 17, Virginia Beach, VA
Mattie Gross, 16, Kodiak, AK
Gabriel Niles, 15, Bennington, VT
Cody Watson, 18, Tuttle, OK
Marine Corps
William Butler, 16, Virginia Beach, VA
Katelyn Francis, 17, Havelock, NC
Joshua Frawley, 14, Jacksonville, NC
Taylor Pokorney, 17, Albany, OR
Elena Polinski, 17, Moundsville, WV (Polinski is also one of 4 finalists for the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation)
National Guard
Madisyn Clark, 17, Peoria, AZ
Aaron Hall, 16, Coarsegold, CA
Aiden Hunter, 16, Onalaska, WA
Koralys Rodriguez, 17, Statesville, NC
Jessica Walker, 17, Blanding, UT
Navy
Sidney Brown, 17, Wiggins, MS
James Cosman, 13, Quantico, VA
Elisabeth Lundgren, 17, Chula Vista, CA
Isabelle Richards, 13, Jamul, CA
Madison Walker, 17, Virginia Beach, VA
Innovation Finalists
Eve Glenn, 16, Air Force, Tampa, FL
Shelby Barber, 17, Air Force, Ewa Beach, HI
Elena Polinski, 17, Marine Corps, Moundsville, WV
Gavin Sylvia, 18, Army, Fort Campbell, KY
The finalists were selected by an independent panel of judges. The final award recipients for each branch of service will be announced in early March. The Military Child of the Year® Award reflects the positive impact that these special young people have made on their military families, their schools, and their communities. The final seven award recipients will travel to Washington, D.C., to be recognized at the April 19 gala, during which senior leaders of each branch of service will present the awards. They also will each receive $10,000, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts.
2018 marks the 10th anniversary of this special event — the nation’s premier celebration of the achievements of our military children. Thank you to the amazing sponsors of our Military Child of the Year awards program: United Technologies Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, LaQuinta Inn & Suites, MidAtlantic Broadband, Procter & Gamble, Sightline Media Group, and Tutor.com Online Tutoring for Military Families. #MCOY2018
