Maureen van Wagner, Austen's CREATE Recipient and Teacher with Mayor Sullivan. (Austen was unable to attend the event.)

Austen Vandervaart is a great example of what students can achieve despite serious challenges and negative factors.

Austen has made a concerted effort to stay on the right path and get an education. He has the drive and the desire to be successful.

He lives with his single working grandmother, who has raised him and his twin brother since they were 3-years old.  At a young age, Austen was certified as having specific learning disabilities in reading, math and behavior.  He had some serious behavioral issues at school, which led to constant suspensions as well as some trouble outside of school. 

In high school, he enrolled in affective skills class, which helped him make positive choices and he learned appropriate behaviors, which helped him tremendously.  While managing his behavior at school, he still had trouble in his community, which allowed him to see that he was heading down the wrong path.  He soon came to the conclusion that he needed to manage his anger and try to change his lifestyle, which could not have been easy.  I am happy to say that he has been successful.

Austen volunteers many hours of his time help our community.  In the past three years he has accumulated over a 100 hours of community service helping organizations such the Boys and Girls Club, Beans Café, Kids Kitchen, and Mountain View Beautification projects. 

Austen has been working at the Bank within East for over year and wants to make banking his career.  He plans on enrolling in UAA’s associates program in banking.  He also wants to mentor young men to show them that it does not matter what community you are from, that you can have success.  

Austen’s Nominator and School Counselor Kimberly Payne added:

Over the past three years, I have seen Austen mature tremendously.  I am so proud of him.  There are still some obstacles but he is doing the best that he can to overcome them.  He wants to make his grandmother proud.  I believe she already is; she is one of his biggest supporters.