Sci Young Artists and Authors Showcase Honors Local Students

Friendship: The Heartbeat of Global Peace, the theme of 2025 Young Artists and Authors Showcase, brought out the best in competitors ages 13-17 for the City of Santa Barbara Sister Cities annual young artists and authors competition (YAAS), featuring a bevy of local students’ presenting their creative response to their personal understanding of global peace.

YAAS Student Winners 2025 included Miranda Li, Dahlia Terebessy, Kendall Switzer, Andrew Draper, Paetra Spahn, Sofia Sassen, Ariana Anaya De Jesus, Sophia Esparza, Daniella Ramirez, Kate Brecher, Aung Zaw, and Atton Hayes.

Judges, Handcrafted 2D Art: Patrick Melroy, MFA, Adrienne De Guevara, Lisa Jablonski, MAEd; Photography & Digital  Art: Jenny Johns, MFA, Jon White, Lisa Jablonski, MAEd, Poetry: Katie Anderson, M.A. and Miriam Frieden, M. Ed. were all selected by members of the County Education Office who supported the YAAS program by providing a venue for this year’s event, as well as selection of judges approved by Children’s Creative Project members Kelly Mitchell, Kai Tepper, Yoseline Gonzalez, Erin Sawyer, Kate Yamaski, and Victor Gonzalez.

Margaret Saavedra and Kai Tepper presented the annual awards to the gathering of deserved students. All in attendance were pleased to see poet Paetra Spahn accept her winning award, and charm the entire room as she read her beautiful poem from the podium with such poise and grace. Kelly Mitchell and Yoseline Gonzalez, Children’s Creative Project shared that there were so many great submissions this year the judges struggled to settle on the final winners of cash prizes.

Sister Cities Chairperson Margaret Saavedra with members Bonnie Carroll, Marti Correa, Gil Garcia, Debbie Merlo, Margarita Zaske, Takako Wakita, Jill Stassinos and generous sponsors Pacific Premier Bank, Duran Financial Management, Santa Barbara Rotary North, and SJL Foundation were all delighted to be in attendance.

City of Santa Barbara Sister Cities currently has six Sister City Committees: Kotor Montenegro, Toba Japan, Weihai China, Miraflores Peru, Patras Greece, and Puerto Vallarta Mexico. Takako Wakita of Toba Japan Sister Cities Committee (twenty-two-year member), Margarita Zaske Miraflores Peru (newest member with two years), Jill Stassinos Weihai China and Margaret Saavedra gave brief messages on their current Sister Cities Activities.

The Sister Cities Program in the U.S. had its beginnings from a proposal made by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to establish a “People-to-People Program.” His wish was to involve people and organized groups in personal diplomacy, hoping relationships fostered would contribute to building world peace. Sister Cities International YAAS programs aim to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time. The City of Santa Barbara Sister Cities will soon celebrate sixty years of participation in this special diplomacy program.

Sister Cities International is the U.S. national organization for nearly 500+ communities, and their 1800+ partners in 140+ countries around the world. The SCI original focus on personal diplomacy has been broadened to four key themes: economic development, arts and culture, youth and education, and humanitarian assistance. The annual YAAS, Young Artists and Authors Showcase competition is one of the special programs sponsored by Sister Cities International through their worldwide committees and associations.