The Daily News recently spoke with the two finalists, Tatihana Loya and Cameron Davis.
Tatihana Loya, senior at Swansboro High School
Quick Facts:
President of the Swansboro High School Student 2 Student program, which supports military kids and other students in the area
President of the ECO Club
Swim team member
Q&A:
Q: Why do you believe you were chosen as a finalist?
A: All the opportunities that I have to help people in the military community, especially with S2S. We have so many opportunities to help people, so I guess they saw that I was helping a lot of people and actively trying to help people.
A handful of area teens are among the 95 military children ages 13 to 18 from across the United States and overseas that are in the running for a national awards program recognizing America’s military kids, Operation Homefront announced Jan. 12.
Local semifinalists for Operation Homefront’s 2021 Military Child of the Year Awards program in the Marine Corps branch are Jake Alchin, 17, of New Bern (Havelock High School), Cameron Davis, 17, of Jacksonville (Onslow Early College High School), Tatihana Loya, 17, of Swansboro (Swansboro High School) and Michayla Wittner, 17, of Jacksonville (Southwest Onslow High School). Alessandra Besachio, 16, of Hubert (Culver Academies) is a semifinalist for the Navy branch award.