16-05-2025
Berks' Best 2025 Taylor Seitzinger Community Service and Leadership winner: Garrett Hyneman has dedicated his life to helping others
Garrett Hyneman knows that learning extends far beyond the classroom.
It's something that the Gov. Mifflin High School senior has seen firsthand since he was around 7 years old. That's when he first joined the Cub Scouts and discovered the joy of being of service to others.
Over the year, his passion for community service and leadership has only grown, becoming an intrinsic part of who he his.
'My life purpose is to make a positive difference to the most number of people I can,' he said.
That mindset, and his willingness to back it up with action, has earned Hyneman the distinction of being named the winner of the 2025 Berks' Best Taylor Seitzinger Community Service and Leadership Award.
'In my 27 years of teaching, I have encountered many outstanding students, but Garrett stands out as one of the most driven and involved individuals I've ever had the pleasure of working with,' Kristi Jo Bonanno, Gov. Mifflin's internship and school-to-work program coordinator, said in a letter supporting Hyneman's nomination. 'He takes full advantage of every opportunity presented to him and approaches each with remarkable initiative and passion.'
That has led Hyneman to be incredibly busy, with running through the list of projects and activities he has been involved with enough to make most people's heads spin.
Take, for example, his Eagle Scout project. As someone who is extremely passionate about preserving and protecting the environment, he got 80 homeowners on a local street to band together and beautify their neighborhood by planting two dozen shade trees.
That led to another project, this time working within the Gov. Mifflin School District to plant trees. Starting with the high school and middle school campuses, he has been soliciting donors — who can pay $250 to have a plaque installed — to cover the costs.
'The goal is to beautify the campus and recognize donors who are able to honor somebody special in their lives,' Hyneman said. 'It's a passion project, and it's 100% student-run.'
That project is in the planning stages for phase two, which will see trees planted at Cumru Elementary School.
'The ultimate goal is to get the students there a step closer to being steward of the environment,' he said.
Hyneman is also a member of several local community organization. He sits on the youth advisory board of the Berks County Community Foundation, where he has worked to battle food insecurity and to protect the environment, and as a member of What's Up Berks has been helping to lead an effort to ban single-use plastic bags in the county.
He has also created his own What's Up Berks youth board at Gov. Mifflin, which helped the district transition from using plastic utensils in its cafeterias to using metal versions. The switch will help protect the environment, he said, and save the district about $30,000.
Hyneman said he plans to continue his community service and leadership work as he heads off to college this fall at Lehigh University. There, he will study mechanical engineering with a focus in the environment and sustainability.
'I'm really interested in getting involved in the realm of green energy,' he said. 'I'm doing college research on a thermal electric generator. I'm working on a patent. I'm trying to create a more environmentally friendly, more efficient model.'
Hyneman said he is also interested in getting involved with politics, saying he feels he can make the biggest impact on the world that way. And, he said, his long-term plans include trying to give back to the community by becoming an educator.
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