Hudson Souders has been named a “Rising Star” in the Pacific Beach community.
The 16-year-old son of Rhett and Melissa Souders is filling his hours not only with academics, but school activities and community volunteerism through the Pacific Beach Town Council.
During its Jan. 24 installation dinner, the council recognized the teen’s contributions to the council, PB community and accomplishments in school by presenting him with its Rising Star Award.
It is given by the council “to recognize younger community who, despite their age, have already contributed so much to our beach town and show immense promise for our town’s future leadership,” according to PBTC President Charlie Nieto. “From local high school students to young adults, this award has been earned by numerous individuals who have gotten an early start to being involved in their community and being a proactive citizen.”
The Mission Bay High School sophomore has a 4.86 GPA and is involved with a variety of activities. He is on his school’s soccer, golf teams and surf teams; and is a member of its Outreach Club.
It is through the Outreach Club that Souders got connected with the Pacific Beach Town Council in early 2024.
“When I was a freshman, one of my older brother Rhett’s friends, Carter Choung, was connected with the town council,” Souders said. “I saw him in the newspaper one time, and that kind of piqued my interest, so I asked him about it.”
Choung then connected Souders with Jaden Ballardo, the PB Town Council’s secretary.
“This is the third year that we’ve put a small group together to go into our high school and middle schools to give presentations about what the town council does, how (students) can get involved and volunteer if they need hours for school or something like that,” Ballardo said.
“Carter (Choung), our Rising Star last year, helped introduce Hudson to our organization, which is exactly what we hoped to have happen,” Ballardo said. “It was kind of full circle, which was really great.”
Ballardo has been on the council since she graduated from high school five years ago, serving as its board secretary and chair of communications for the past two years. She helped create the Rising Star Award shortly after the council began its school outreach.
“I felt like it would be nice to recognize students for volunteering when that’s not something they had to do, and also they’re doing this during the time when they need to be applying to colleges,” she said.
During his time as a town council volunteer, Souders said some of his favorite projects have been the Concerts on the Green that are held at Kate Sessions Park during the summer, and the graffiti clean-up initiative.
“The graffiti clean-up was the first one I did for the town council, and it was cool because the Outreach Club at my school was participating in it as well, so I got to do that with a lot of my friends,” Souders said. “It was a cool introduction to the town council and all the work they do.”
Other council projects he has volunteered for include the PB Car Show, BeachFest booth and building the council’s PB Holiday Parade float, according to Nieto.
Since Souders is continuing his involvement in Mission Bay High’s Outreach Club, he said he is looking forward to future collaboration between the two groups. During his time volunteering, Souders said he has been able to introduce fellow Mission Bay High students to the town council’s work.
“We definitely want that younger presence in our organization,” Ballardo said. “It’s a volunteer opportunity, so it’s really just about how much responsibility someone wants to have once they become a member.”
Souders said this experience has been a great opportunity for him to build his résumé, and develop social skills while giving back to his community.
“Growing up and having lived here for over 10 years, I’ve enjoyed all these activities like riding bikes around with my friends and enjoying beach days during the summer,” Souders said. “All of this has influenced my love for the community, and now I’m able to give back, to play a role that I feel like the community deserves — in this beautiful place that I live — and show that I’m grateful and I love this community.”
Souders said he is looking forward to continuing to volunteer in Pacific Beach throughout his high school years.
Additionally, Souders plans to continue pursuing soccer, which he has been playing for 11 years. During the summer of 2024, he was recruited to play at a month-long showcase in Madrid. Souders said he hopes to play at the collegiate level after graduating with the Class of 2027.
His extracurricular activities, on top of his commitment to the Pacific Beach community, has made him stand out to Ballardo and other town council .
“I’ve been out of high school for five years, but I definitely being there and I definitely would never have done the things that Hudson is doing,” Ballardo said. “It’s just crazy, in the best way. Every time he shows up to our events he’s there to help work with the public.
“Even if he might not know what’s going on, he’s quick to learn and excited to do so, so he’s definitely the type of person that the town council is looking to have around,” she said.
