The 2007 recipient is Libby Falck from Neenah, Wisconsin. She plans to graduate in 2009 with a dual degree in communication arts and political science. After completing a short documentary for a film class last spring, she made a totally random and unplanned change in her career path. She abandoned her dream of working in pediatric oncology in favor of film studies. She’s now studying media production at UW-Madison and is in the final stages of making a documentary to help young, newly diagnosed cancer patients navigate through emotional, unfamiliar territory. At the end of August, Libby began a new adventure. Having never been out of the country, she traveled to Prague to study at the film school Famu.
Undaunted by the unknown, Libby has rarely acted as a typical volunteer. As a two-time cancer survivor who practically grew up in a hospital between the ages of 5 and 14, she has a unique view of the world. She founded Teens Tackling Cancer, Inc. to build a community for young survivors. Throughout high school she spent an hour every day making calls and learning, slowly, what it means to be president of a small nonprofit. Four years later the process continues. These lessons have ranged from simple logistics, finances and legalities, to organizing people and coping with the deaths of friends.