The Next Step Magazine wanted the best. Scratch that—we wanted the best of the best. So we asked your guidance counselors, parents and friends to nominate the best teen volunteers, students, athletes, singers, leaders and more for the annual Next Step Magazine Super Teens contest!

We asked each applicant these questions:

What activities or qualities make you stand out from your peers?

In what clubs, volunteer organizations or youth groups are you involved?

Explain an opportunity you had to act as a leader. What did you learn from the experience?

Who or what experience has had the greatest impact on you?

What are your plans for the future?

How do you want to be remembered at your high school?

We know there are a lot of great teens out there. So let us know about you! Log on to www.nextSTEPmagazine.com for a Super Teens application to apply for next year's contest.

Congratulations to the cream of the crop, presented right here. We think you're great!

“The quality that makes me stand out from my peers is my leadership,” says Sarah Marie Buchanan, a 15-year-old sophomore attending Burrillville High School in Harrisville, R.I. Some of Sarah’s numerous activities include being an officer in student council, participating on the homecoming committee and in the Feinstein Club, volunteering for more than eight years for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission and contributing to the services of the Rhode Island Food Bank. Sarah spends much of her time and energy playing and coaching ice hockey, which she hopes to play in college while majoring in event and convention planning. She attributes much of her uniqueness to the inspiration she gets from her mother.

Kaitlin Daley has discovered much about herself in only 16 years. Through experience, she has learned that the key to making people happy isn’t necessarily being outstandingly talented at something, but rather being able to turn a “gloomy” situation into one that is “enlightening” using personality and leadership. This student from Canaan Memorial High School in Canaan, Vt., is also very involved in her school as the president of student council, vice president of Key Club, secretary and treasurer of the Athletic Association, member of National Honor Society and the National Student Honor Roll. Displaying great leadership has brought her the responsibility of being a captain of her softball, soccer and basketball teams. Kaitlin helps with her local church, is inspired by her father’s strong character and hopes to study journalism or political science in college and eventually attend law school.

Eagle Scout Davis Lynn Erickson is an 18-year-old at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School in Groton, Mass. “If you love, care and lead, people will follow and return with gratitude,” says Davis. That’s a conclusion he came to through his experiences as captain of his cross-country team and a three-year volunteer with the Special Olympics. Davis says that volunteering has taught him to live every day to its fullest and to truly appreciate the gift of life and ability. Davis is a member of the National Honor Society, Music Honor Society, Peer Leaders, Boy Scouts of America and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Young Men organization. A talented runner and selfless person, Davis wishes to eventually get a degree in engineering or animal science.

With helpfulness at heart, Robert Joseph Hyde volunteers much of his time in activities that benefit others. Robert is an 18-year-old student at Mt. Abraham Regional High School in Strong, Maine. He devotes much of his time to being a firefighter for Strong Department. Robert also participates in Relay for Life, a fundraising program for cancer. He is also a member of the Promising Futures Team, National Honor Society and Grange. Robert has met Mia Hamm and has been inspired by her to work harder at soccer. His future plans include studying fire science technology at college and eventually become a fire marshal.

“Life is a picnic, and I am hungry.” This gives some insight into Aditi Kulkarni’s view on life, and she has been taking her fill. Aditi is active in the Spanish club, SADD executive board, math team, yearbook club, student council and National Honor Society. She volunteers at the library, for Rays of Hope Walk for cancer, by collecting cans for the poor and with Read Across America. Last summer, Aditi had the experience of getting to participate in Girls State. She says that this experience had a great impact on her life because it opened her mind to the ways of the government and made her more comfortable with public speaking. Aditi plans to go to a four-year college for engineering.

Matthew Little, a 17-year-old junior attending Milton Junior-Senior High School in Milton, Vt., is a well-rounded person. He plays soccer and basketball and plays percussion in order to be involved in his school and community. Matthew is a member of the First Baptist Church youth group, where he has attended group work camps to repair homes and serve the community. Matthew participates in National Honor Society and Earth Angels, a group that promotes blood, organ and tissue donations. Matthew’s strong leadership is evident—he has already held the position of captain on two sports teams. In soccer, he was awarded the Gatorade Will to Win Athlete Award. Matthew cites his parents as his role models.

As a tenth grader at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School in Groton, Mass., Jessica McMullen has shown a tremendous understanding of the positive change she can create by being a role model for others. She finds much pride in being a responsible, drug-free teen that her peers and younger children can look up to. A generous person, Jessica participates in about 36 hours of community service every year. She was influenced by an experience she had where she volunteered her time to an arts camp for 3- to 7-year-olds. Jessica eventually wants to become part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program and to join more volunteer programs.

Kelly Munson, a senior at Ellington High School in Ellington, Conn., has given much to her community and school through volunteerism. Kelly is involved in a program called Right of Passage Experience through which she is a volunteer facilitator and mentor for classes of sixth-grade students. She also applies her energy and time representing her high school on the Ellington Town and Teen Advisory boards, involving herself in Peers Are Wonderful Support program, being an active Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership alumna and participating in the Peer Leader and Peer Mediator programs at her high school. In the future, Kelly wants to become a teacher and help others overcome obstacles and achieve their personal best. She is looking forward to her freshman year at Central Connecticut State University.

Megan J. Rand, a senior at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke, N.H., is very involved with her community. She is a member of the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) in the New Hampshire faction and is the state president of the New Hampshire Society CAR. Through her involvement, Megan learns about the history of our country and how to preserve and share it. Active in high school activities, Megan participates in Key Club, drama club, media club, student senate, prom committee and the IGNITE Mentoring program. She has also been class vice president for three years. Megan was chosen to represent her school last February in Washington, D.C., at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Megan is inspired by her boyfriend and parents and sees a future for herself as a manager of a hotel in a large city.

"'I don’t know how’ is never an excuse for anything,” states 17-year-old Audrey Resutek, a student at Ellington High School in Ellington, Conn. If Audrey doesn’t know how to do something, she teaches herself quickly—a trait that will bring her many interesting experiences. As well as being a member of the art club and National Honor Society, Audrey is very active in her high school drama club and the International Thespian Society. Her diverse abilities include acting, directing, writing and chairing production crews. When her school performed a play about homosexuality that questioned many aspects of society, Audrey realized the “power that ideas have to affect people” and learned that she never wants to stop spreading ideas.

Christopher Roy, a 17-year-old at Canaan Memorial High School in Canaan, Vt., sees himself as a role model—especially on his sports teams. He encourages the team to maintain a positive attitude. Christopher participates in outing club, band, National Honor Society, SADD, French club, athletic club, Upward Bound, yearbook club and intramurals. He plays soccer, basketball and baseball while balancing his schoolwork so well that he is on the honor roll. When asked about an experience that impacted him, Christopher says, “Upward Bound challenged me in life and also helped me pursue becoming a Vermont State Trooper.” With this goal in mind, Christopher plans to go to college and major in criminal justice.

Shana Santos, a 17-year-old who attends Ludlow High School in Ludlow, Mass., has a profound sense of self, possibly from her strong religious beliefs. She considers her most defining quality to be her determination—her ability to achieve success at whatever she puts her mind to. Shana has participated in her school’s soccer team, the John Boyle O’Reilly soccer club, yearbook, pep band, band council, SADD, Portuguese club and National Honor Society. She also volunteers her time at her parish as a catechism instructor and at the Hubbard Memorial Public Library. Through her contributions to the Future Community and Career Leaders of America, she helped produce pillows for breast cancer patients. Also to fight breast cancer, she has walked in the Rays of Hope Walk and the Crop Walk. Shana is inspired to give a part of herself to everyone she meets, which demonstrates her generosity.

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