Editor’s note: This article was a finalist for the America Inspired Contest, which celebrated extraordinary people making a difference across the United States. We invite you to read about these amazing people.

Caleb Laieski of Phoenix, Arizona is just turning 17 years old.  He has gone above and well beyond the accomplishments and life experiences of his peers.  He has faced several tough challenges early in life, but decided to turn his rough life experiences into a stepping stone for positive change, not only for himself, but for young people all over the country. 

Caleb had faced daily and relentless anti-gay bullying, which started in middle school and became far worse once he became a student at Willow Canyon High School.  He was shoved into lockers, called several anti-gay slurs and was followed home from school. Even after one student threatened to stab him, the Dysart Unified School District remained indifferent to what was happening in one of their schools.

Caleb refused to let the torment go unnoticed.  At the young age of 13, he founded and became the Executive Director of Gays and Lesbians United Against Discrimination (GLUAD).  This national organization contacted legislatures in all 50 states and reached out to every school district in Arizona, putting them on notice of their responsibilities to protect all students from bullying.  He sometimes worked around the clock to ensure compliance to existing LGBT protections and offered solutions to districts and lawmakers where such protections were lacking.  This also involved organizing testimony and allies to push for LGBT protections in schools at the Arizona Legislature.

Caleb has made quite an impact on Arizona, but he didn’t stop there.  In May of 2011 he made the trek all the way to Washington, DC and spent 35 days on Capitol Hill.  He met with over 200 people including members of Congress, their staff, and organizational leaders to build support for the passage of the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA).  Caleb's focus has been on the issue of bullying, but he decided to go all the way and support SNDA because the bill provides a clean sweep of protections at the federal level for LGBT students that not only protects against bullying, but discrimination as well.  Caleb’s schedule in DC was jam-packed, giving him little time between meetings.  

Caleb’s experiences from anti-gay bullying, which ultimately forced him to drop out of school and earn a GED, caught the attention of the Obama Administration.  On June 6, 2011, US Health & Human Services Secretary Sebelius recognized Caleb in a speech at the first-ever Federal LGBT Youth Summit and can be read here and was again included in her speech at the second annual Federal Youth Bullying Prevention Summit.

Caleb’s work has also caught other people’s attention.  He has been invited to numerous radio and TV interviews.  In July of 2010, Caleb was featured on the front page of Chicago’s Windy City Times which gave a history of many of his experiences of being bullied and also featured his work at GLUAD which worked in suicide prevention, homelessness, legislative work and successfully changing school policies to protect all students.  He was also featured on the front cover of Melbourne Community Voice (MCV), the largest publication in Australia. 

In April of 2011 he was the Youth Grand Marshal in the Phoenix Pride Parade.  Shortly after, he was invited to be Grand Marshal in the November 2011 Palm Springs Pride Parade.  Caleb’s emotionally compelling story also caught the attention of filmmakers Tami Pivnick and Susan Broude of Purple People Incorporated/Dog Eats Hat Productions. and he was featured in Bullied to Silence which will be released early 2012.  In December of 2011, he was named, “Man of The Year” by Phoenix’s Echo Magazine, Arizona’s leading and most read LGBT magazine.

Caleb has also worked in other fields.  His community support goes all the way back to when he was only 12 years old.  He became the Food Drive Organizer & Volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance in Phoenix.  In that position, he organized volunteers to pack and deliver food to clients and also coordinated with businesses to participate in the food drive, which included a semi truck full of almost 50 pounds of cheese that drove to Arizona all the way from Vermont!

When Caleb was 15, he became the Director of Response and Rescue for Fallen Whiskers Animal Rescue.  He rescued countless animals that were trapped in a dangerous location, neglected and abused by their owners, and saved many dogs that were running loose and returned them to their rightful owners.  Without his intervention they could have been hit by cars or faced starvation.  He also worked with animal shelters to find loving homes for pets so they wouldn’t have to face euthanasia.

Whether it is standing up for other youth around the country, saving animals, reaching out to communities and public officials or working in suicide prevention, Caleb has inspired and saved an innumerable amount of lives.  His hard work and dedication to the causes has made a warm impact in his own community and in homes around America as he continues to pour his heart out to make a difference; a difference that has helped so many!  

Caleb is the most Outstanding Youth I have ever encountered and should definitely be recognized for it!