DUBLIN — The City of Dublin recognized some of its most outstanding citizens and organizations during a ceremony held on March 1 at the Shannon Community Center.
The city named its winners in the categories of 2022 Citizen of the Year (Kristin Speck), Young Citizen of the Year (Yashas Shashidhara) and Organization of the Year (Above & Beyond Leadership & Education) – along with recipients of the Mayor’s Award (Katie Cheng) and the Mayor’s Legacy Award (Erik Bertelson).
Citizen of the Year:
Kristin Speck
Every year, individuals who have made significant contributions toward improving the quality of life for Dublin’s residents are selected for the Citizen of the Year.
“It’s quite an honor to be recognized,” said Speck. “I’ve always enjoyed volunteering and giving back to the community … I have enjoyed getting to know different people, because when you volunteer at different organizations, you are thrown in with people you might not otherwise get to know, so I like getting to know our community, and I like helping to effect change in our community.”
Speck is a longtime Dublin volunteer and a fixture in the Dublin Unified School District, where she began volunteering at her children’s elementary school and continued until she ran for her area’s trustee seat on the school board last November. As a school board trustee, she continues her work in public service. She served on the Dublin parks commission for four years and continues her involvement in volunteering for the Briarhill Swim Team. She is also Dublin’s representative on the Tri-Valley Regional Occupation Program board.
As part of the award, the city will contribute a $300 donation to Speck’s favorite nonprofit organization.
Young Citizen of the Year:
Yashas Shashidhara
Young Citizen awards are given to student leaders in grades one through 12 who are focused on helping classmates and residents of Dublin.
Young Citizen of the Year Shashidhara was part of the Mayor’s Council and helped host a drive to collect more than 1,000 pounds of batteries. He created an app to help teens and young adults struggling with sobriety and partnered with local mental health organizations to bring those services to all students in need. His nominator and friend, Anish Kataria, said Shashidhara wasn’t just impressive in his accomplishments, but also in his character.
The city will also donate $300 to Shashidhara’s favorite nonprofit.
Organization of the Year: Above & Beyond Leadership & Education (ABLE)
Dublin recognizes nonprofit organizations each year that have substantially benefitted the city’s residents.
This year’s winner, ABLE, offers public service opportunities and leadership skills development. Member Hubert Tan said the city’s award recognizing the group’s public service is an honor. President Braden Ou, a 16-year-old junior at Quarry Lane High School, said ABLE’s focus is Dublin youth.
“As an organization, we are mainly trying to tutor people, as well as clean parks and help create a better experience with the youth of Dublin,” Ou said. “We are primarily youth-led with our events. We try to create our own events and initiatives; we come up with our own ideas, execute them and run them, and we have been doing fairly well. We gain experience and have our parents advise us from the side to make sure we aren’t running off the tracks.”
Co-President Emily Mao initiated the group’s tutoring program to raise funds for their projects. She said ABLE recently donated $500 to the Ukrainian Heritage Club of Northern California to support relief efforts for Ukraine.
The City of Dublin awarded ABLE a $500 cash prize.
Mayor’s Award (Katie Cheng) and Mayor’s Legacy Award (Erik Bertelson)
Dublin Mayor Melissa Hernandez bestowed the Mayor’s Award and Mayor’s Legacy Award to the winning recipients.
According to a press release from the city, the Mayor’s Award is presented to someone whom the mayor believes “has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Dublin community in the previous calendar year.” The Mayor’s Legacy Award is presented “to a group or individual to recognize extraordinary, long-term dedication to the Dublin community.”
Cheng served three years as student representative on the Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees and helped found the California Student Board Member Association.
“Her intelligence and drive will suit her very well when she attends Stanford University in the fall,” Hernandez said of Cheng.
“I also had the distinct pleasure of honoring Erik Bertelson with the Mayor’s Legacy Award,” Hernandez continued. “As director of the Wells Middle School Band, Bertelson has been an integral part of the Dublin community since 1979.”
The release further noted, “For the past 44 years, he has taken budding musicians and created a magical experience with the Wells Band. His bands have won countless trophies, and many of his students have gone on to careers in music. He has truly brought an abundance of joy to the community throughout the years.”
For more information on all nominated individuals and groups, visit www.dublin.ca.gov/volunteers.
For more information about ABLE, or to donate, visit www.abovebeyondleadership.org.
