Annie Zhao

Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer 2023

Annie Zhao was crowned Miss Tennessee Teen Volunteer as the first Asian American titleholder representing Tennessee in the Volunteer America system. Annie was awarded $2,000 from the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Organization, which will be contributed towards her education at the University of Virginia. She wants to become a leader in medicine as an OBGYN to advance healthcare for women and children. Beginning her path to becoming a healthcare professional, she has won several science competitions, conducted environmental health research with the University of Memphis, and edited genes through CRISPR-CAS9 with the University of Tennessee!

Annie Zhao’s platform is Discover Your Path, which encourages the youth to discover their true professional passions as well as who they truly are. Annie has founded two journalism associations and interviewed over 50 professionals for her long-time established platform! She is dedicated to gathering life and career advice from a diverse range of professionals to share with students across Tennessee. She hopes to unveil the incredible opportunities waiting for the youth in the real world, some of which may not even be known to students yet!

Annie is also extremely passionate about volunteerism and music! She enjoys helping her community and spreading joy in any way she can. Whether that is through direct volunteering or creating music on her violin, she has devoted over 500 hours to the people around her. You can catch her playing in symphonies, leading music groups, or practicing a variety of repertoire in her free time!

As a strong advocate for childhood literacy and racial injustice, Annie has committed to impacting as many people around her as possible. Having struggled with literacy as a child, she is determined to mitigate the obstacles she had experienced for others. Annie has instructed English to students in and outside of the US since she was 14! One of her most important events was the deliverance of the Stop Asian Hate speech regarding racism to hundreds of Tennesseans. She hopes her message representing AAPI youth made a difference in changing hearts and minds!

Finally, Annie’s optimism and balance in life keep her living to her fullest! She firmly believes in the motto “it is never too late to start any journey”!

Townsend Blackwell

Miss Iris Teen Tennessee Volunteer 2023

Townsend Blackwell was crowned Miss Iris Tennessee Teen Volunteer in Jackson, TN, at the state competition June 12, 2022 while representing Memphis as Miss Memphis Iris Teen Volunteer. Miss Blackwell’s personal platform is “Technology Timeout” and she encourages everyone to take a break from their devices and be active for at least 60 minutes daily for physical and mental health. She promotes her active lifestyle through Technology Timeout Tuesday’s. Miss Blackwell will spend her year also promoting the values of the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Organization, S.E.R.V.E. (Scholarship, Education, Responsibility, Volunteerism and Empowerment), during her reign. 

Miss Blackwell co-founded Volunteer for Lakeland in the Lakeland community, to provide volunteer opportunities for teenagers, and is also a member of the St Jude Leadership Society Memphis cohort where she recently raised over $6200 for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Townsend is also an Executive Producer of Content for a streaming channel on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, which is run by teens and produces teen relatable content.

  

Blackwell is a 14-year-old honors student from Lakeland, TN who will begin her sophomore year of high school in the fall. Townsend was awarded a $2000 scholarship from the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Organization, which she intends to use to pursue a career as a noninvasive cardiologist. Blackwell is an avid tennis player and a varsity tennis player at her school, she is also a member of the National Beta Club and several academic interest clubs. Townsend loves being active and spends her free time on the lake with her family and enjoys teaching herself sign language, sewing, archery, weightlifting, wakeboarding and reading.