-- For the 10th year, 12 high school juniors, 12 educators and six scholars from the African Leadership Academy selected by the Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute

SEATTLE, May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute today announced the selection of the 2014 Bezos Scholars. For the tenth year, this yearlong leadership development program will bring together 12 of the nation's top public high school juniors, 12 exceptional educators and six Scholars from the African Leadership Academy in South Africa for an all-expenses-paid week of exploration, dialogue and debate at the Aspen Ideas Festival, June 26 – July 2.

In Aspen, Bezos Scholars will connect with visionaries from around the globe—international leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and creative artists across diverse disciplines—and engage in lectures, presentations, debates and discussions around critical issues. Surrounded by the stunning Rocky Mountains of Colorado, past Scholars shared meals and intimate roundtable discussions with Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Admiral Mike Mullen, musician Moby and New York Times columnist David Brooks, among many others. 

"The Bezos Scholars add a stimulating and fresh presence to the audiences we convene for the Ideas Festival," says Kitty Boone, vice president of public programs at the Aspen Institute. "They wow us all with their curiosity, ideas, and incisive questions that enhance the dialogue."

Following the Aspen Ideas Festival, the program continues as Scholars return home with the inspiration, relationships and tools to create Local Ideas Festivals on an important and relevant issue in their own hometowns. Since 2005, Bezos Scholars have launched more than 150 Local Ideas Festivals across the U.S. and in South Africa to tackle a range of issues, from water scarcity to literacy, STEM education to rural poverty.

"The Aspen Ideas Festival is captivating and is the perfect forum to inspire young people and educators," says Jackie Bezos, president of the Bezos Family Foundation. "Bezos Scholar Teams return home to raise awareness and mobilize action as they co-create Local Ideas Festivals that transform schools and communities across the U.S. and South Africa."

2014 BEZOS SCHOLARS AT THE ASPEN INSTITUTE

• Audrey Huynh and James Scott, Myers Park High School, Charlotte, NC
• Christopher Kim and Clint Gima, Maui High School Kahului, HI
• Edward Antonio and Eric Ferencz, Stuyvesant High School Brooklyn, NY
• Kennedy Jefferson and Carl Woodward, Lake Area New Tech Early College High School, New Orleans, LA
• Khushi Suri and Rachel Sands, Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy, Westchester, IL
• Leila Abdelrahman and Marcia Ferguson, Coral Reef Senior High School, Miami, FL
• Pablo Haake and Michael Trujillo, Central High School, Davenport, IA
• Paulina Torres and Sonia Gonzales, Rowe Clark Math and Science Academy, Chicago, IL
• Raymond Pryor IV and Karen McChesney, East High School, Denver, CO
• Valeria Schmidt and Lori Roberts, Montrose High School, Montrose, CO
• Victor Ariyo and Susan Reutter, Academy Park High School, Folcroft, PA
• Yash Kamath and Michael Boykins, Wichita East High School, Wichita, KS

Bezos Scholars from the African Leadership Academy in South Africa

• Deepshikha Parmessur, Mauritius
• Franklyn Odhiambo, Kenya
• Imane Bounana, Morocco
• Samuel Opoku, Ghana        
• Simone Ige, Nigeria
• Michael Gyampo, Educator Scholar Ghana

To learn more about the Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute visit: www.BezosFamilyFoundation.org/Scholars. For up to date information and to join the conversation, visit us on Facebook (Facebook.com/bspaspen) and Twitter (@BezosScholars #BSP10Years).

SOURCE Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute