2010 STN STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Noah Gray Gray is an award-winning, 18-year old filmmaker and student journalist who combines his passion for politics with his activist free spirit to produce documentaries, public service announcements, news packages and events that make a difference. His most recent film, "Stand Up, Speak Out" won Best Documentary at the 2010 STN Film Festival.

Noah is best known for “Virgin Voting,” a short documentary and online project to encourage young people to vote in the 2008 presidential election. This earned him national media attention.  Noah then went on to became CNN American Morning’s “special youth correspondent,” producing over a dozen news packages airing during election season. He still reports on politics from a young person's perspective for CNN and is continuing the Virgin Voting Project to motivate young, first time voters to become interested in the 2010 Midterm Elections.

A graduating senior at Palmetto Senior High in Miami, Florida, Noah plans to attend American University in Washington, DC where he will major in film and media arts.

STN FIRST RUNNER UP

Sarah Sax Sax is a 2010 graduate of Palos Verdes High School in California.

At the young age of ten, Sarah won the California State Reflections Contest.  Sarah spoke before an audience of three thousand and realized how her writing could influence the public. Since then she’s believed words, thoughtfully and articulately penned, can be the most powerful and influential form of communication.

In middle school Sarah wrote for her school's newspaper, MIST, where she learned the basics of journalism. As an eighth grader, she was selected to become part of her high school's nationally award-winning news broadcast team, "Live From 205," where she covered hard-hitting news and community events including the Israeli-Hamas war, a student's struggle with Bulimia, and Barack Obama's journey to the White House.

Chosen as one of twenty-three students nationwide, Sarah honed her writing skills at the 2009 California Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) journalism workshop. She also co-wrote and produced a short film entitled “A Day in the Life,” covering green-living, which won the 2009 Audience Choice Award at the Santa Monica Teen Film Festival.

Sarah is grateful to have participated at the Student Television Network competition for three years and recognized with many awards for her outstanding work.  She begins her career in journalism at the University of Southern California in the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism next fall.

STN SECOND RUNNER UP

Karlie Swan is a 2010 graduate of Lee’s Summit High School in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.  She started broadcast journalism classes when she was in middle school and later accepted into the Tiger Broadcast staff her freshman year.  By her sophomore year, Karlie earned the spot of Assistant News Director and Line Editor. During her junior year, she kept the spot of Line Editor and later, after earning many accolades, took on the News Director position.  

While continuing to excel in these two pivotal learning spots her senior year, she helped prepare incoming broadcasters in their middle school broadcast program develop their own skills.  
 
As Karlie's senior year comes to an end, she is forever grateful for all the wonderful opportunities she experienced in broadcast journalism and grateful for those who have helped her become a better person and broadcaster. 

With plans to attend the University of Missouri to study broadcast journalism, she hopes to spread her knowledge and devotion to her career to other young and eager journalists encountered along the path of life.