VIDEO: Acosta named Hometown Hero in Leader of Tomorrow category
She carries a passion for service, governance from Peoria and beyond
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How to nominate
Know somebody in Peoria who should be recognized as a Hometown Hero? Here is how to do it.
Email: Send your nomination to aznews@newszap.com, or fill out this nomination form yourvalley.net/hh-nomination/index.html.
After that: the nomination will be reviewed, and monthly winners will be selected based on their community contributions. Nominations should include name, email address and phone number along with the category of nomination, some details about the person being nominated and what accomplishments they have done.
Categories left to nominate
• Lifetime Achievement: Long standing community member who has consistently stepped forward and exemplified a passion for giving back to the Peoria community within any category.
• Veteran: Former military person who continues to serve within the community.
• Educator: Teacher who has inspired students beyond their own learning expectation.
• Mentor/Coach: Person who works with, and is a role model, for our younger community.
• Emergency Responder: Person who steps forward during an emergency.
• Spiritual: A spiritual leader who displays their own good and unlocks the potential in others.
• Entrepreneur: An individual who launches an idea into a new business and serves the community.
Maylee Acosta says she’s not entirely sure where her passion for service was born but it certainly came to the forefront as a young girl at Sundance Elementary School when she would ask her teachers if they needed help during recess or lunch time.
That initiative in elementary school moved toward joining an honor society and getting involved in her middle school student government.
“Since childhood, I always felt unconscious insecurity about my background and strength as a leader, so I never sought much more than a helping role in everything I did,” she said.
But in high school, she ran for student council and a former member recommended she apply to the Peoria Youth Advisory Board, which provides insight and feedback on issues to the city relating to youth, including city ordinances, long-range planning, and city-school district relations.
“I applied, scheduled an interview, and was accepted,” she said. “Through that experience I was able to break through my individual doubts as a leader and served as chair while also serving as Youth Council Liaison. I participated in City Council meetings and had the opportunity to engage with youth from all over the nation. Through the Youth Advisory Board I found my passion for city governance.”
Since then, she has found her second home in Flagstaff as a student of Northern Arizona University and worked as a resident assistant in student housing.
She has been elected President of the NAU Student Body, acts as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents Free Expression Committee and has been working on advocacy efforts, leading an office of 40 students.
One of those efforts is the undergraduate Cap and Gown Closet she started with the goal to make it “expand and flourish.”
So it comes to no surprise she is shooting for a career in civil service as a city manager.
“There is a quote that Cesar Chavez’s grandson, Andres Chavez, shared at an NAU event, ‘To give life is to live life.’ I don’t think that people have to make commitments or invest all their time and money to specific efforts or movements,” Acosta said. “However, I do think it’s important to invest in more than just oneself. Whether it’s starting your own family, volunteering, or telling a young girl to apply to the Youth Advisory Board, those interactions have impacts that reach far and wide whether or not one realizes it.”
The Hometown Heroes Awards are a celebration of individuals who have contributed to the city, and those who have made local achievements and distinguished contributions to the community.
Acosta will be honored at an awards luncheon next year.
In partnership with the city of Peoria, she will be interviewed by the city and aired on Channel 11.
Acosta served with Councilor Jon Edwards on the city council dais 2017-2018. Edwards said she is the epitome of a strongly principled young woman.
She is approachable by her peers, respected among her student colleagues, and leads by example, he said.
“The child of migrants, this first generation Mexican woman is wise beyond her years, and seeks a life of advocacy,” Edwards said. “I first came to know Maylee as a member of the Peoria Youth Advisory Board when she was a sophomore at Centennial High School. Nothing seemed too big for her, and she followed through on every commitment she made.”
Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts.
He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing.
Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards.
In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
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