All six finalists have amazing track records of collaboration and making a significant impact in the communities they serve. And they’re pretty incredible individuals, too!

We’re giving each finalist the opportunity to tell you a bit more about themselves and what’s important to them.

So here’s your chance to get to know Quardean Lewis-Allen with Made in Brownsville – who is working to activate the talent within young people through design and technology education.

Q: Who or what most inspires you – and why?

QLA: I’m inspired daily by the passion and motivation of the young people I work with in my community. Their drive to develop skills and become leaders gives me hope for the future.

Q: What does changemaker mean to you?

QLA: Changemaker means someone willing to be an enabler or “opportuner.” It’s someone that is willing to say “yes” to the dreams and visions of those around them. Changemaking is an act of building capacity for others that will come after.

Q: Other than the announcement of the winner of the NGen Leadership Award, what are you most looking forward to at Upswell?

QLA: I’m most looking forward to being able to fellowship with a community of thought leaders, diving into their challenges, and learning from the experiences of others.

Q: What is the most personally meaningful action/protest/campaign that you have participated in?

QLA: In my community, I advocate for spatial justice. What that looks like is people being able to occupy, inform, and shape the future of spaces in their community equitably. In places where the act of youth occupying public space has been criminalized, spatial justice’s role is to reorganize how we view and think of people’s relationship to power.

Q: In one sentence, how would you capture your core values?

QLA: I strongly believe that the brightest solutions come from those that are closest to the problem.