Pilgrim Park student Leia Rios is a 2021 recipient of the Inspiring Youth Award for the TMJ4 Positively Milwaukee Awards! Leia was nominated for the award by Generations Against Bullying (GAB) and United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) for her commitment to volunteering within the community and over 3,000 collective hours of community service. 

“Leia believes that a beautiful future rests for us all if we make one simple decision: say yes to becoming an upstander in your community and inspire others to do more through compassion,” read her nomination. “By partnering with GAB, Leia has become a more confident and self-assured individual. This alignment has helped her develop many lifelong skills that she will utilize in her future endeavors. Leia has forever been changed in a way that has left her, and so many others, empowered.”

The Positively Milwaukee Awards began over 30 years ago to spotlight people that make the Greater Milwaukee community a great place to live. Leia’s interview with TMJ4 will air at 4pm on Thanksgiving Day and she will be awarded $1,000 to be donated to a charity of her choice. Rios’s award is one of eight divisions that will be honored by TMJ4 for community impact.

Leia is also currently USA National Miss Wisconsin Preteen 2021. She is a Peer Ambassador for Generations Against Bullying and speaks to girl scout troops about bullying. She also volunteers at many Hispanic Community organizations in Milwaukee and Waukesha. In the fall of 2021, she will be hosting a program entitled The Road to Rios through the Upstander Network on the VRTUO streaming app. Viewers will listen to real one-on-one candid conversations with various pageant titleholders who will share their personal experiences about bullying.

Congratulations to Leia on all of her incredible accomplishments!

Check out photos of Leia volunteering below.