The Make Waves Program

JANUARY: Havana Chapman-Edwards is a young United States diplomat living in Frankfurt, Germany. She is the founder and Executive Director of Girls Have Rights, which is a youth-powered global non-profit providing education through diplomacy to eliminate barriers so girls have access to their basic human rights. Havana is also known for advocacy with gun violence prevention and has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine, the Today Show, and CNN. Recently, Havana started a book club with her children’s choir and has raised over $40,000 for books, school supplies, toiletries, and clothing for girls around the world. We are honored to further Havana’s mission by sharing her groundbreaking work on our platforms. You can learn all about Havana's efforts @thetinydiplomat on Twitter/Instagram.

FEBRUARY: Allie Weber is a 14-year-old maker, builder, and award-winning patented inventor. Since a young age, Allie has had a passion for making and creating, using all kinds of tools and materials. Throughout the past few years, Allie has received numerous recognitions, such as hosting Mythbusters Jr., winning first place innovator in the Smithsonian Spark!Lab Invent It challenge, and being named one of the top ten young scientists in the country by 3M and Discovery Education. Some of Allie's amazing innovations include a patented wearable frost bite warning system, as well as a respiratory therapy tool for kids called the Blowdart Spirometer. Allie uses her YouTube channel "Tech-nic-Allie Speaking" to inspire people of all ages to build, make and, create. At the beginning of the pandemic, she organized a global collaboration, called "#StayInPlayin" which consisted of almost 50 STEM youth making videos to keep kids at home playing and learning. Allie believes that "Kids are not the future, we are here now. We are not going to change the world someday, we already are." Make sure to follow Allie's Youtube channel and find her on Instagram @tech_nic_allie. We are so excited to welcome her to the Class of 2021 WaveMakers!

FEBRUARY: Khloe Thompson is a 13-year-old international philanthropist. She started her own charity called Khloe Kares at the age of 8, which supports the homeless community, inspires the youth to be change makers, and installs water pumps and bathroom facilities in Ghana schools that don’t have access to clean safe water. Her goal is to build a school in Ghana by 2023. Khloe has also published two children’s books and is working on her third. She believes in creating opportunities for other youth to succeed and hopes to make all of her friends and peers know they are loved. Khloe is an outstanding WaveMaker, and we are ecstatic to recognize her work! You can head over to @khloekares on Instagram to see the impact she's making across the globe.

MARCH: Temple Lester is a 13-year old entrepreneur, public speaker, and STEM Advocate. She is the creator of “STEM Girl Swag” and the inventor of the STEM Swag Box. The “STEM Swag Box” was created by Temple in 2019 to make STEM education fun. Her Go-Fund-Me campaign has raised over $5,000 to provide science kits to youth and supplies for her workshops. Temple also provides free workshops, seminars, and motivational talks to get youth involved in STEM. She is dedicated to introducing underrepresented youth to STEM and filling the gap. Through her advocacy, Temple has exposed over 100,000 people to STEM. Temple's work has received numerous awards, and she was recently featured in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture 2020 digital showcase for her award-winning documentary about Shirley Chisholm. We are excited to recognize Temple's work and invite her to the Class of 2021 Wavemakers. Make sure to check her out @justtemple on Instagram!

APRIL: Dylan and Denver Humphrey recently launched Fourddo Inc, a unique nonprofit that challenges youth to defy odds and DO life differently. Dylan & Denver “believe kids are motivated by other kids” and think it’s important to see youth doing positive things! By partnering with a few special organizations, Fourddo uses their platform to advocate for change and inspire other kids to find ways to give back. Dylan and Denver travel all around the country performing & speaking at schools and community events. They are also junior tennis influencers who enjoy sharing their passion for tennis throughout underserved communities. Head over to the Fourddo Instagram to check out this inspiring sibling duo. Welcome to the Class of 2021 Wavemakers, Dylan & Denver!

MAY: Niamani Knight is the Founder of S.T.R.E.A.M. Kids Expo™ and Co-Founder of S.T.R.E.A.M. Global Innovations. After being selected at the age of 13 to participate in the first Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA Program) in Lancaster, CA, Niamani discovered the pressing need for industry exposure and interactive learning for young students. Therefore, Niamani created a platform for students and businesses to showcase their talents and discuss possibilities. S.T.R.E.A.M. programs emphasize science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and manufacturing and strive to connect the dots between education and career. Since the program launched in 2015, Niamani has collaborated with over 23,000 of her peers. She hopes to increase access to S.T.R.E.A.M. programs in underprivileged and low performing neighborhoods, to encourage a movement where kids are empowered to reach their fullest potential. We are honored to welcome Niamani into the Class of 2021 Wavemakers. Learn more about Niamani here!

JUNE: In 2017, Sammie Vance learned about the idea of a “buddy bench.” In her words, “If someone is lonely they can go sit on the bench and others know to go up and ask them to play.” Sammie was inspired to build a buddy bench at her school and set out to do just that. She collaborated with local businesses to collect recycled plastic caps and lids that could be turned into benches. Within 2 months, Sammie received over 1,2000 lbs of caps and was able to build 3 benches for her school! The project has continued to grow, as more people are collecting caps and wanting to do this in their own community all over the country and world. Sammie has received caps from all 50 states, as well as Africa, Israel, Germany and the Netherlands! Sammie continues to help groups near and far start their own collection and talks with groups and schools about the importance of being kind. She also hosts her own podcast called “Sammie Smiles.” Sammie is a true WaveMaker, and we’re excited to welcome her to our crew! Check her out at @sammiesbuddybenchproject!

JUNE: Michael Platt is an inspiring baker, business owner, social entrepreneur and food justice advocate. Michael has been baking since he was 9 years old, but he became interested in the challenges of inequality after learning about the March on Washington at age 6. Inspired by a pair of TOMS shoes he received as a present, Michael decided that he would begin a baking business with a 1-for1 model. From the beginning of Michael’s Desserts, he has donated a dessert to someone in need for every one dessert that he sells. Michael also raises money for No Kid Hungry, a national non-profit that’s working to end childhood hunger. He has been featured on the Kids Baking Championship on the Food Network as well as many other news outlets for his impressive work. Please join us in welcoming Michael to the Class of 2021 WaveMakers – we can’t wait to see what else he bakes up! You can check Michael out @michaelsdesserts on Instagram.

JULY: A couple years ago, Ian McKenna learned that there were children at his school going to bed hungry. Wanting to make a difference for his classmates, Ian decided to take action. He raised funds and gathered volunteers to construct a raised bed garden and small fruit orchard at his elementary school known as the “Giving Garden” to provide the community with free access to fresh produce. After building the Giving Garden, Ian began to realize that many students didn't have the knowledge to prepare the produce they were receiving. He began offering cooking demonstrations and providing sample recipes to help teach the students that healthy food can taste good. Since 2016, Ian has grown and donated more than 3,000 lbs of organic produce from his backyard garden alone and 19,000 lbs from school and community gardens. Ian is a true WaveMaker, and we are honored to welcome him to the Class of 2021. Make sure to check him out @garden_for_hunger.

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