Operation Homefront is thrilled to announce the 96 semifinalists for the 2019 Military Child of the Year® (MCOY) Award.
Below are the 2019 Military Child of the Year® Award semifinalists by service branch along with the semifinalists for the 2019 Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation:
Air Force
Shaylee Barber, 16, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Madeline Bland, 17, Alton, Illinois
Audrey Camper, 14, Talofofo, Guam
Jakob Fick, 15, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Jaidyn Fountain, 13, Wichita Falls, Texas
Diana Fudge, 13, Kathleen, Georgia
Salysia Jimenez, 15, New Bern, North Carolina
Joshua Kelly, 14, Italy
Brandon Mammano, 18, Mililani, Hawaii *
Isabella Mollison, 18, Japan
Benjamin Rawald, 16, Del Rio, Texas
Skyler Roper, 14, Helotes, Texas
Michaela-Katherine Taylor, 17, Germany*
Jonathan Thomas, 17, Germany
Brian Thompson, 16, Bel Air, Maryland
*Brandon Mammano and Michaela-Katherine Taylor are also one of 10 semifinalists for the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation
Army
Gregory Davis, 17, Tampa, Florida
Abigail Faust, 16, Cadiz, Kentucky
Isaac Gonzalez, 18, Universal City, Texas
Jason Herlick, 17, Adams, Tennessee
Hunter Hotaling, 17, Lansing, Kansas
Peter Leffler, 14, Fairfax, Virginia
Elisabeth Polleys, 16, Macomb, Michigan
Elisa Rich, 16, Clemmons, North Carolina
Catherine Roller, 18, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Sarah Schaefer, 17, Stafford, Virginia
Obadiah Scroggins, 13, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Noah Sylvia, 18, Fort Hood, Texas
Anna Torres, 15, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
Marisol Wentling, 14, Fort Benning, Georgia
Katherine Wilton, 17, Dupont, Washington
Coast Guard
Kailey Aponte, 14, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Giovanni Beltran, 14, Slidell, Louisiana
Shannon Campbell, 17, Saint Johns, Florida
Emma Fike, 17, Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Joshua Fisher, 13, Bluffton, South Carolina
Mackenzie Godfrey, 14, Corpus Christi, Texas
Mattie Gross, 17, Kodiak, Alaska
Emily Light, 17, Port Angeles, Washington
Hennessy Martinez, 16, San Diego, California
Kylie McGuire, 17, Hamilton, New Jersey
Hazel Romero, 14, Madisonville, Louisiana
Tyler Schultz, 16, Forestdale, Massachusetts
Tyler Shiflett, 17, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
Erin Tabor, 13, Summerville, South Carolina
Sarah Williams, 16, Macclenny, Florida
Marine Corps
William Butler, 17, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Jaidah Davis, 17, Okinawa, Japan
Sofia Gibson, 16, Chesapeake, Virginia
Logan Harrell, 17, Stafford, Virginia
Jaxson Jordan, 13, Tarawa Terrace, North Carolina
Elvine Katanga, 16, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Elizabeth Kellum, 17, Jacksonville, North Carolina
Ethan Ley, 13, Highland Park, Illinois
Julia Livingston, 17, Okinawa, Japan*
Karina Maciel, 15, Kailua, Hawaii
William Moseley, 18, Okinawa, Japan
Connor Salcido, 17, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Haes Shake, 17, Hubert, North Carolina
Briana Torres, 18, San Marcos, California
Jacob Woodall, 14, Crestview, Florida
*Julia Livingston is also one of 10 semifinalists for the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation
National Guard
Brennan Palani Buccat, 18, Waipahu, Hawaii
Katja Grisham, 17, Auburn, Alabama
Caleb Johnson, 17, Bakersfield, California
Cameron Lantagne, 16, Vancouver, Washington
Jack Leipertz, 17, Powhatan, Virginia
Maycie Madsen, 18, Richfield, Utah
Lauren McKenna, 17, Meridian, Idaho*
Campbell Miller, 17, Ontario, Ohio
Clayton Miller, 15, Petersburg, Illinois
Kaley Mulligan, 13, Haven, Kansas
Matthew Ospina, 17, Marysville, Washington
Koralys Rodriguez, 18, Statesville, North Carolina
Dakota Scott, 15, Fort Greely, Alaska
Carlos Vega, 17, Leavenworth, Kansas
Rachel Warner, 17, Roosevelt, New Jersey
*Lauren McKenna is also one of 10 semifinalists for the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation
Navy
Avery Alfonzo, 14, San Diego, California
Zaira Alvarez, 17, Pensacola, Florida
Danielle Bilotta, 16, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Mahlon Catalina, 17, Hanford, California
James Cosman, 14, Joint-Base Andrews, Maryland
Ronald Eytchison, 17, Huron, Ohio
Declan Fletcher, 17, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Sawyer Getschman, 16, Germany
Payton Godlewski, 17, Germany
Jack Lund, 18, Gulf Breeze, Florida
Elisabeth Lundgren, 18, Chula Vista, California
Celine Maharaj, 17, Norfolk, Virginia
Mary McLellan, 17, England
Nickolas Moncilovich, 16, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Isabella White, 14, Jacksonville, Florida
Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation
Jordan Daugherty, 17, Staten Island, New York, Army
Megan Green, 16, Whispering Pines, North Carolina, Air Force
Julia Livingston, 17, Okinawa, Marine Corps
Brandon Mammano, 18, Mililani, Hawaii, Air Force
Troy Mills Marin, 17, Brownsville, Texas, Coast Guard
Lauren McKenna, 17, Meridian, Idaho, Army
Yohanna Torres Sanchez, 17, Orlando, Florida, Army
Michaela-Katherine Taylor, 17, Germany, Air Force
Jessica Vanstory, 17, Maple Hill, Kansas, National Guard
Sophie Williams, 17, Japan, Navy
2019 marks the 11th anniversary of this special event — the nation’s premier celebration of the achievements of our military children.
The final seven award recipients will be selected by a panel of judges and announced in March. They will travel to Washington, D.C., to be recognized at a gala on April 18 , 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.
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.
