JA 18 Under 18
CHARLES KAY
Kids in Baltimore are going to get far more involved in today’s pressing issues if Charles has anything to say about it. Self-described as “always politically active,” Charles takes his interest to the next level. As vice president of his class, he made a successful pitch to his school’s administration to allow excused absences for students who wanted to vote on election day to encourage youth engagement in the democratic process. As a junior, he became the first student to lead the Loyola Blakefield Justice Summit Committee, which challenges students to understand and discuss topics like climate justice. This led him to spend last summer with a delegation learning about the migration crisis by visiting the borderlands in south-central Arizona and speaking to those impacted. At home, he’s brought partners together to develop a food pantry to benefit the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood.
“Showing people that you care about them, and their story, is vitally important to making connections and being an effective leader.”—Charles Kay