On April 29, 2024, Ana Karen Betancourt Macias and Sophia Wade were named this year’s General George C. Marshall Award recipients. The Marshall Awards, a program of The Historic Trust in partnership with The City of Vancouver, has been honoring young leaders in Clark County since 1989.
Each year, one high school senior and one community member under 35 are recognized for their leadership, achievements, and contributions to our community in Clark County. General George C. Marshall’s example of leadership has guided and inspired leaders in Clark County since his residency as commander of Vancouver Barracks from 1936-38. The Marshall Leadership Awards celebrate and support local rising leaders who, like General Marshall, demonstrate integrity, candor, courage and preparedness while serving a greater good.
The 2024 Marshall Public Leadership Award recipient is Ana Karen Betancourt Macias. Ana is dedicated to empowering and supporting the Latine community in southwest Washington and to demonstrating servant leadership that leads to tangible changes in her community. In her work with Latino Leadership Northwest, she oversees dynamic programs that elevate student voices, and in her work with the Betancourt Foundation, La Casita Art Gallery and Cultural Center, and as the Founder and Director of Partnerships for Conexion Cultural, she supports immigrants, uplifts artists of color, and uses her own gifts as an artist to advocate, empower, and lead.
In her application for the award, Ana wrote: “My journey is a testament to the power of resilience, empathy, and community engagement in effecting positive change and building a more just world for all.”
The 2024 Marshall Youth Leadership Award recipient is Sophia Wade of Camas High School. Sophia’s commitment to serving the greater good is demonstrated through her work responding to inequities and holding institutions accountable for change. After an incident at her school involving racial slurs, Sophia worked with restorative justice facilitators and district leaders to create a plan, and designed a lesson on microagressions that was presented in every Camas High School classroom. She then helped organize a district-wide equity conference with minority student leaders and developed elementary curricula with “Windows and Mirrors,” a district-wide initiative focused on inclusion for Camas youth.
Sophia will attend Georgia’s Spelman College in the fall, where she will study Political Science and Environmental Science. Her teacher, Charlotte Waters, nominated her for the award and had this to say: “[Sophia] has many talents from academics to athletics to leadership, but it is her kindness and compassion that make her truly unique. She uses every gift she has to make the people and places around her better.”
Marshall Award recipients receive stipends for higher education or professional development, and participate in events with The Historic Trust and the City of Vancouver throughout the year. Nominations for next year’s awards will open in winter of 2025.