It’s hard to believe Stephanie Tellis is only 16 years old, she has packed so much into her young life. Not only is she an honor student at Hickman Mills High School, she has been recognized by Missouri Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell for her deep involvement with her community.

Tellis was nominated for the 2002 Lieutenant Governor’s Service Award by Stephanie Hill, coordinator of the school district’s CODE (read "gifted") program. Tellis is taking a Learn & Serve America class within the program, and boy has she taken the course name to heart.

In Learn & Serve, she has worked on projects for Harvesters, St. Vincent’s Day Care, the Don Bosco Center, and the Community Assistance Council. She has also helped create a preschool literacy program called "Pocket Storytellers." In Storytellers, she and her classmates use scenes and props to increase preschoolers’ awareness of the written and spoken word. "The preschool teachers look forward to having Stephanie in their classroom," Hill says, "because they recognize the amazing ability she has to work with children."

Then there’s her participation on the Kauffman Youth Advisory Board. And her place on the varsity academic team. And her A+ tutoring of elementary-school children.

That’s just during the school year. In June, she heads for Higher Ground, a leadership program sponsored by Kids Across America, and in July she’ll study at the intensive High School Science, Mathematics & Technology Institute at UMKC. This program—which is tough to get into and tends to have a high dropout rate—requires 50 hours of classroom work and 150 hours of community service.

All of this merely scratches the surface of Tellis’ involvement. She says that just as her parents served as examples for her when they took her along on community projects when she was younger, she hopes to be an example for others. "Everybody needs a positive female role model," she says. "It would be cool if I could be that."

At 16, she already is.