Mayor Greg Wheeler Selects Claire Warthen for the 2023 Mayor’s Youth Leadership Award

Mayor Greg Wheeler is proud to announce the selection of Claire Warthen as the recipient of the 2023 Mayor’s Youth Leadership Award and a $500 scholarship.

Warthen attends Bremerton High School (BHS) and would like to pursue a career in political science and public policy to help make positive change in the community. Claire has served in numerous leadership roles in her school, including as class president and as Associated Student Body president, National Honor Society president, as Model UN Secretary General, among others. She has also participated as a page with the Washington State Senate and as a member of her local senator's youth council.

She has been committed to serving her school and community as a volunteer Spanish translator for Bremerton School District for several years, as Black Student Union webmaster, and as a St. Vincent de Paul food bank volunteer. She has also been active in sports, including girls soccer and girls golf. Through her involvement in student government and school activities, she is focused on listening to numerous different perspectives and advocating for the needs of other students.

Warthen has received a number of awards and honors, including the Bausch+Lomb honorary science award from the University of Rochester for high achievement and rigor in science and math classes. In addition, she has earned Most Valuable Player honors in girls soccer and a sportsmanship award in girls golf. She has also been recognized by the Olympic League as a Scholar-Athlete award recipient for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher. Additionally, the Bremerton Rotary selected her to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) overnight camp.

The Mayor’s Youth Leadership Award is an annual program started by Mayor Greg Wheeler that recognizes exceptional youth in the City of Bremerton. For information on the scholarship program, visit the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Award page.