Maya Dombroskie
Maya Dombroskie is a senior at State College Area High School, hoping to attend a liberal arts college or university in political science, international relations, and linguistics. She’s passionate about building community solutions to national and global issues, and through her work with Students Demand Action as President of her chapter, she’s currently working to expand awareness about gun safety practices in her school district.
President of her school’s Speech and Debate Team, Maya has been a Public Forum debater for five years, and enjoys sharing her curiosity for current events with younger students. She is a strong advocate for youth civic engagement, and as a Bill of Rights Institute National Fellow, representative to her school board, and Research Fellow with Ballotpedia, she hopes to unite young people in support of political and social change.
In her free time, when not volunteering with Clearwater Conservancy or Draw The Lines PA, she loves painting in her art studio, reading novels, going for runs in the rain, and writing. A published poet, she’s incredibly grateful for all of the wonderful teachers who have helped her find and pursue her academic passions over the years.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, or "Notorious RBG" as she has been coined by Shana Knizhnik, was an American icon of epic proportions. As remembered by the American Bar Association, "It is undeniable that the late Justice Ginsburg transformed the legal profession, the Supreme Court, and the fabric of American society through her tireless advocacy for gender equity. She was a brilliant legal scholar who left a mark on American jurisprudence both in her role on the Court and as an advocate." NSHSS hopes to honor the blazing legacy of "Notorious RBG" by awarding ten (10) applicants with $1,000 each for their efforts to embody the spirit of RBG within their own communities.