With a mission to change the stigma surrounding food allergies, local teen Ava Stephenson is turning her personal experience into a platform for education and inclusion. Through her initiative, Safe Bite Allergy Awareness, the River Hill High School sophomore is making a lasting impact — an effort that recently earned her the title of Miss Bethesda’s Teen.
Stephenson’s advocacy focuses on educating the community about food allergies and fostering a more inclusive environment. “As someone with a food allergy, I live and breathe my Community Service Initiative every day, which is what motivated me to start this journey,” she said. Part of her work includes delivering care packages to children who are hospitalized, with more than 200 packages distributed so far. She also teaches others how to use an EpiPen during an allergic reaction, sharing the simple and memorable rhyme: “Blue to the sky, orange to the thigh.” Stephenson explained: “The average person doesn’t know how to use an EpiPen, so remembering this message could help save someone’s life.”
Baton twirling does double duty for Stephenson, serving as both her pageant talent and leading to her role as River Hill High School’s Feature Twirler during Friday night football games. “This is my second year twirling for my high school, and it’s something I truly cherish,” she shared. Her favorite trick, the Double Illusion, highlights her skill as she tosses the baton, completes two aerial rotations, and catches it mid-air.
Stephenson also credits her pageant journey with shaping her as a person. “Competing in pageants has changed my life tremendously,” she said. “It’s given me skills I would have never learned, such as speaking in front of a large crowd.” She also believes that the competitions build confidence, help to provide an understanding of community issues, and are excellent preparation for future job interviews.
Sponsored by the Miss Montgomery County Organization, the Miss Bethesda’s Teen title serves as a preliminary to the Miss Maryland and Miss America competitions. Stephenson previously held the title of Miss Central Maryland’s Teen and plans to use her platform to continue expanding the reach of her Safe Bite Allergy Awareness initiative.
River Hill alumnus Johnny Seybold, a video editor at Teton Gravity Research, recently returned to his alma mater to speak with video production students about his career in the action sports industry. Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the production company is known for its ski and snowboard films, where Seybold contributes his editing expertise.
Before transitioning to video editing, Seybold spent eight years in corporate consulting, working in healthcare technology and serving government cloud clients at the Pentagon. During his visit, Seybold shared insights into his unconventional career path and encouraged students to explore niche opportunities in the production industry. Seybold praised the students for their enthusiasm and noted how fortunate they are to have access to post-production classes at such a young age.
The Power of Books Program is seeking donations of new or gently used children’s books throughout January. Created by retired Pointers Run Elementary School teacher Lesli Ancona, the initiative will provide books to the Howard County Food Bank for distribution to families. Ancona’s goal is give families access to reading materials to nourish the mind while they are picking up food items to fuel the body. Donations can be dropped off at village centers in River Hill, Dorsey’s Search, and King’s Contrivance through Jan. 22.
When she’s not covering the Clarksville area for the Howard County Times, Susan Soldavin serves as the Communications Coordinator for the River Hill Community Association. Send news to include in this column about people and events in the community to susansoldavin@gmail.com.
