CONTACT: Jeanne Meyers
Co-founder/Director
The MY HERO Project
[email protected]
January 16, 2026 — Laguna Beach, CA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clarissa Ngo Honored with the MY HERO Media Educator Award at the 2025 MY HERO Film Festival
Los Angeles, CA — Educator and creative mentor Clarissa Ngo, founder of Imaginate Ink, was honored with the MY HERO Media Educator Award at the 2025 MY HERO Film Festival, in recognition of her nearly three decades of inspiring young people to become imaginative, articulate, and purpose-driven leaders through storytelling and film.
Founded nearly 30 years ago, Imaginate Ink is a private creative mentorship program rooted in the belief that genius is created, not born. After graduating from Harvard, Clarissa developed a unique educational method that empowers students to write, speak, and act with purpose—creating imaginative works that raise funds for causes they care about and address real-world challenges with empathy and ingenuity.
Clarissa’s philosophy centers on small, daily habits of excellence that shape young people into compassionate leaders. That impact was powerfully reflected this year, as 17 of Clarissa's students were recognized as finalists and award winners across multiple categories.
View all finalist films here: myhero.com/imaginate-ink-2025-films
Student Award Winners
Middle School Documentary
First Place Nai Nai directed by Emilee Sung, an ode to her grandmother, who only had a 2nd grade education, yet ran her own restaurant.
Second Place Paradise in a Pencil directed by Emily Song - a film about how drawing helps heal from hurt.
Third Place A Modern Hero: A Love Story directed by Carter Z Chen - A Love Story, the tale of how his grandparents met, married, and have loved each other even through heart-rending loss. This story illuminates that love is not just a feeling but an action and a commitment.
Middle School – Best Animation Awards (Presented by Wacom)
Second Place The End of My Pink Cake Life directed by Alyssa Wu.
Third Place Untamed Rhymes: Poems to Celebrate Sea Creatures directed by Evan Andrew Cha
Mattie Stepanek Poetic Film Prize (Presented by Jeni Stepanek and the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation)
First Place High School Forgetting to Be Grandpa by Alexander Lyon. When 17-year-old Alexander passes the bust of his grandpa, he remembers whom he is supposed to be. This is the very relatable tale of what every human must face: can we pry ourselves from everything that distracts us to honor those who gave us wings?
Stated Jeni: “I found this to be an incredibly sincere and authentic message about honoring others, especially others who have become vulnerable or are facing some challenges and rising above those challenges to still celebrate them.”
Alexander Lyon
Said Alexander: “I read your 'Last Heartsong' piece in the Washingtonian both before I created my film Forgetting to Be Grandpa and also after finding out I won, which helped me understand what it means to live with a heartsong, which is something I’ve been struggling with for the past few years. It is never easy to do something heroic, but you and the MY HERO team gave me a path.”
In a letter following the award, Alexander wrote: “Earning this distinction revealed to me that what I do matters…Making this film allowed me to mourn my grandfather for the first time and put me on the path of my heartsong. Thank you for changing my life.”
First Place Middle School The End of My Pink Cake Life directed by Alyssa Wu. This is the tale of how 13-year-old Alyssa Wu moved from video-game addicted teen to realizing that treating yourself as a means to an end of pleasure makes your dreams sit on a shelf.
Said Jeni: “This is a very clever and uplifting piece that's addressing a very serious matter for, uh, many young people in today's world.”
Said Alyssa: “Winning felt surreal…like flying on the biggest drop of a roller-coaster, but without throwing up afterward. It made me realize: I can do something. Even though I’m imperfect and weird, what I create matters.”
MY HERO Media Educator Award
MY HERO was delighted to honor Clarissa with the 2025 MY HERO Media Educator Award in recognition of her extraordinary dedication to teaching storytelling, character, integrity, and courage through film. Watch the award presentation here: myhero.com/media-arts-educator-award-2025
In accepting the award, Clarissa said: “I bless the day I found MY HERO…because I’ve seen with my own eyes the power of what MY HERO teaches my students.”
She highlighted three core lessons MY HERO instills:
Reflecting on her students’ success, Clarissa added: “Being told you matter—and what you make matters—changes you. Making something great isn’t about genius. It’s about caring deeply enough to sacrifice for it.”
She concluded by thanking the MY HERO team and supporters for helping her students become “better humans and lighthouses in the world,” saying: “This is what a true education is supposed to be.”
To read more, go to: myhero.com/clarissa-ngo-and-imaginate-ink-honored-at-the-my-hero-film-festival
Read an interview with Clarissa HERE.
To learn more about Clarissa Ngo and Imaginate Ink, visit www.imaginateink.com
About the MY HERO International Film Festival
The My Hero Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. The festival provides a platform for filmmakers to share inspirational stories of everyday heroes. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college, and professionals in a variety of categories, including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.
The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.
Page created on 1/17/2026 5:48:37 PM
Last edited 1/19/2026 12:36:57 PM
