22 JUNE 2025 By Mark Hays Sarah Bendok, a Phoenix Country Day School junior, and Xavier graduate Maryam Al Qaderi started their summers off with honors as part of Junior Achievement of Arizona’s prestigious 18 Under 18 list, which recognizes youth that are making meaningful contributions to their communities. Sarah was recognized for her work in agrivoltaics, a sustainable agriculture practice that combines solar panels and farming to increase crop yield, reduce irrigation needs, and supply clean energy. This passion stems from summers spent in Lebanon working alongside farmers in her grandmother’s village. Back in the Valley, she applied the innovation to serving underprivileged areas with Growing Green, a nonprofit Sarah created to bring Phoenix’s first grid-connected agrivoltaics system to life. The project has reduced Spaces of Opportunity’s (community garden) carbon footprint by 200 tons and cut irrigation needs by 20 percent. South Phoenix is known as a food desert where access to fresh produce remains a daily challenge. Spaces of Opportunity donates its produce to food banks, farmers markets, and school cafeterias in other underserved areas. Sarah has extended her efforts to education, co-developing an agrivoltaics curriculum that is now used in 17 schools through partnerships with ASU and the University of Arizona. She’s also presented her work nationally and participates in the Governor’s Youth Commission, her school’s robotics team, and the Environmental Club. “Working with younger students was inspiring and a great way to continue serving the area. The seed you initially plant, with time, effort, and action, will turn into this thing you dreamed of,” she said. She plans to study chemical engineering in college, continuing her work of providing food, power, and innovation in any way she can. Maryam was commended for her leadership in service, medicine, and research. She said the award reflects her personal journey and the value of giving back. “I felt honored to be named one of JA’s 18 Under 18. It showed how hard work, dedication, and commitment are really important to me and my community,” she said. As president of her school’s National Honor Society, Maryam led a four-week canned food drive that collected over 690,000 cans for St. Vincent de Paul, breaking a 40-year school record. She also led a team in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries campaign, helping raise over $100,000 in seven weeks and volunteering with TGen, conducting research on pediatric brain tumors. She’s a state champion in original oratory through the AIA speech and debate tournaments and will attend Harvard University as a pre-med student this fall. As members of Junior Achievement’s 18 Under 18, Sarah and Maryam are proving that bold ideas can drive real change. With roots in service and eyes on the future, they’re not just imagining a better world, they’re building it. jaaz.org 18 Under 18: Turning sunlight and service into lasting change Maryam al Qaderi Sarah Bendok By Kylie de Best Navigating high school as a teenage girl often means walking a social tightrope. Be too quiet and you’re invisible; too outspoken and you’re labeled “annoying.” It’s a balancing act Phoenix native Sabrina Grimaldi remembers well, and one she channels into her debut novel, We Are Not the Same . Drawing loosely from her own experience, Grimaldi revisits the emotional fallout of betrayal and insecurity. A classmate who pretended to be her friend in order to get closer to her boyfriend left a lasting impression. She did something everyone goes through at some point during high school – comparing herself to everyone else, questioning her worth, and wondering if she measured up. These relatable feelings helped shape the characters in her novel, which follows two teen girls, Madi and Aspen, caught in a love triangle. But instead of focusing solely on the romantic stakes, Grimaldi looks at each side with a feminist lens, exploring how societal pressures pit young women against each other, and how healing begins when they recognize shared struggles. Readers from Arizona will recognize familiar scenes set in Phoenix and Flagstaff, a nod to Grimaldi’s roots. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, where she studied journalism, she’s built a career as a freelance writer and book editor. Her work has appeared in Arizona Daily Sun , Flag Live! and Arcadia News . In 2024, she decided it was time to tell her own story. Committing to a weekly writing schedule at a nearby coffee shop, she completed the novel and self-published it in a year. Now, she’s focused on promoting the book and reaching readers who see themselves in her story. Grimaldi is also the founder of The Zillennial Zine , a digital lifestyle magazine that has earned international attention, including features in CNN , USA Today , and The New York Times . Last year, she was named to the Phoenix Business Journal’s Inno 25 Under 25, recognizing local innovators in media and entrepreneurship. With We Are Not the Same , Grimaldi hopes to not only entertain, but also empower young readers who are learning to define themselves on their own terms. Find the book on Amazon. Flipping the script: Phoenix author debuts YA novel Sabrina Grimaldi

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