Aziza Kennedy

2025 Eco-Hero

HONORABLE MENTION

Aziza Kennedy
Age 16
Alexandria, Virginia, USA
SJC Compost Initiative: A Story of Unwavering Persistence

At 16, Aziza Kennedy transformed a simple class project into a three-year odyssey, successfully establishing the "SJC Compost Initiative" at St. John's College High School. Inspired by her love for nature and previous schools' composting systems, Aziza realized this crucial environmental practice was missing from her high school. Her ambitious goal was not only to combat food waste but also to position SJC as potentially the first Catholic high school in the DMV to adopt composting.

Her journey began with extensive research, identifying Compost Crew as an ideal partner. Despite initial meetings with the school president being met with concerns about vermin, increased staff workload, and the very feasibility of composting, Aziza's unwavering persistence shone through. She bravely requested more meetings, continually refining her proposal to address each objection with well-researched solutions. For instance, she outlined how bin monitoring and flexible company services would prevent rodent issues, and how the system would be as efficient as current waste disposal.

In Spring 2024, she finally received approval for a trial run. During this phase, Aziza personally orchestrated the internal composting process, enlisting ten student volunteers for daily monitoring, running a poster competition, and educating the student body. Her efforts during this trial resulted in high student receptiveness, with composting becoming almost automatic.

A change in school leadership meant presenting her proposal all over again, but Aziza's determination never wavered. Through persistent weekly emails and multiple meetings, she finally secured official approval and the signing of the contract. After nearly three years, the SJC Compost Initiative was launched, with the kitchen composting an impressive 200 pounds of food waste in just two weeks. This project directly combats pollution, as Aziza highlighted in her proposal: composting "reduces... emissions by more than 50 percent" compared to landfill decomposition. The school also benefits tangibly by receiving finished compost for campus beautification.

Aziza's Eco Club moderator, Seth Brown, describes her as "amazing," noting that "she developed this program herself and pushed it across the finish line." The school's former president even credited his eventual support to Aziza's "sheer determination" because "her heart and soul were in this project." Aziza reflects on her journey: "My optimism was not just naivety, but a driver towards real progress." She plans to expand composting to all lunch periods at her school and aims to pursue environmental science in college, proving that a single student's conviction can ignite meaningful, lasting change within her community.