Marist Student Receives Future First Citizen Award

Marist Student Receives Future First Citizen Award 
Eugene, Oregon – Marist Catholic High School senior Maya Dotson was the recipient of the Future First Citizen Award by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce on January 24, 2017. Given annually, “this award serves to showcase our area’s top high school seniors who excel academically, are leaders among their peers and have made great contributions to our community,” said a Eugene Chamber of Commerce representative.
A panel of forward-thinking local business leaders – members of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce – interviewed and judged the nominees based on contributions to their school and community, leadership ability, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores. 
Filled with enthusiasm and a passion for social activism, Maya Dotson’s contributions to Marist Catholic High School and the community are numerous and include:

• Girl Scouts: “One of the top priorities is making your community a better place and giving yourself to your community by extending your good works,” said Maya. In her tenth year in the program, she is a mentor and role model for numerous girls as a Girl Scout Ambassador.
• Marist’s Speech & Debate: a member for almost four years and co-captain this year – competing at the local and state level.
• National Honors Society: Maya is one of two senior leaders for the Marist chapter, organizing and supervising the annual Blood Drive, among other endeavors.
• Eugene’s 15^th Night Initiative: Maya is one of the original members of this organization whose vision is to get local homeless youth off the street and into more permanent housing. She is also a member of the Youth Advisor Council.
• Maya was an advocate in supporting a bill that would bring electricity to impoverished regions of Africa with inconsistent power sources. 
• In partnership with Marist English teacher Bill Ferrari, Maya helped develop a program to bring college-like education to local homeless. Among the many hours of volunteer activities, she designed a social media component to assist in bringing awareness to the program. “Many of the homeless participants identified Maya and her genuine welcoming and inclusive nature as a primary reason for their continued attendance,” said Mr. Ferrari.
• She is a member of the Marist Youth Ending Slavery chapter, the co-founder and president of Marist’s Political Science Club (to create a safe environment where students could discuss and debate controversial topics with differing opinions in a respectful and intelligent manner), and is a Spartan Spear (student newspaper) editor.
• Maya tutors students, volunteered at a residential care center for physically and mentally disabled adults, and helped the Carmelite nuns in Eugene with their website needs.

Bill Ferrari, Marist English teacher and an educator of more than 25 years, said, “Maya is a rare high school student who cherishes the ideals of education as a portal into making a tangible difference in bettering her communities. I would say that Maya is going to change the world, but the truth is, she is already doing just that.”

Below: Maya Dotson with Marist counselor Jerry Ragan and President Suzanne Graf