Isabella Hanson, 16, a junior at Kennett High School, was named a 2022 Prudential Emerging Visionary for bringing powerful vision and meaningful change to her community.

As one of 25 young people from across the country selected in this year's inaugural class, Isabella will receive $5,000 in funding as well as an invitation to participate in an awards summit from April 23-26. The summit will include a lively agenda packed with skills development workshops, coaching sessions, networking opportunities, and special recognition events. Select winners will also have an opportunity to participate in a pitch-off where a grand prize winner will receive an additional $10,000 in funding. What's more, Prudential employees will vote to name an Employees' Choice Award winner, who will receive an additional $5,000.

Hanson started "I Matter" to give young people a platform to advocate for social justice and equality through creative expression. The project runs poetry and art contests, Juneteenth events, and workshops for students of all backgrounds, creating a place for their voices to be heard and inviting them to share powerful messages about racial justice.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Isabella wanted young voices to be part of the national conversation. "I Matter came from pain, but I am working with youth to advocate for change," she says. So far, the initiative has reached young people in over 42 states and 30 countries, and more than 800 students have participated in the contests.

Prudential Emerging Visionaries recognizes young people ages 14-18 whose fresh perspectives and innovative solutions address the pressing financial and societal challenges in their communities. It is a collaboration between Prudential Financial and Ashoka, a leading social impact organization, with advisory support from the Financial Health Network, an authority on financial health, and longtime partner of The Prudential Foundation. The program is an evolution of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the country's largest youth recognition program, which for 26 years honored more than 150,000 outstanding youth volunteers.

"Emerging Visionaries is another way Prudential is demonstrating its commitment to our purpose: to make lives better by solving the financial challenges of our changing world," said Chairman and CEO Charles Lowrey. "The students we're honoring have a sense of possibility that drives them to look beyond themselves. Their vision and dedication are key to creating fully inclusive communities, and we are humbled and inspired by their work."

That work includes addressing needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, combating economic inequality, advocating for inclusion, and closing the digital divide. This inaugural group of young leaders was selected based on four main criteria: their solution is innovative; it can create meaningful impact in the future and can scale to a wider community; it demonstrates a deep understanding of the issue, and it inspires the visionary to lead or take action and motivates others to do the same.

To read the names and stories of all of this year's Prudential Emerging Visionaries, visit prudential.com/emergingvisionaries.