A local high school student was awarded the 2025 Keep Florida Beautiful Youth Champion of the Year award.
Asher Guillory, a 17-year-old Crestview resident, was selected from nominees from 37 other affiliates in the state of Florida for her efforts to reduce litter and educate her peers about recycling.
Guillory received her award at the Keep Florida Beautiful (KOB) state conference in November. She was recognized at the Okaloosa County Commissioners’ meeting last week.
“I’m honestly not sure what I’m more in awe of: the recognition itself or the beauty of the artwork I received,” said Guillory in an email interview. “I don’t believe I’ve ever been more honored in my life to be given a title like Florida Youth Champion.”
Last year, Guillory launched the Litter Locators Instagram account that allows followers to identify areas with heavy pollution, who then make a plan to clean the sites up.
“In Crestview, I’ve been able to clean up five major hotspots for plastic pollution, one of those being a community-wide event,” she said.
The idea has now spread to other chapters in Florida, including Tallahassee, Sarasota, Orlando, and Minneola.
“Each of them has their own volunteers along with specific organizations in the region that they collaborate with,” Guillory explained.
Starting the Litter Locators took some patience.
“Originally, it seemed impossible,” she said. “I wasn’t getting emails back, the account wasn’t gaining a following, and I wasn’t receiving reports.”
But she got creative and found success by partnering up.
For any other young people who want to make a difference in their communities, Guillory’s two pieces of advice are: “don’t get discouraged” and “collaboration is key.”
“The minute I started gaining traction was the minute I started working with other organizations to achieve the same goals,” she said. “While sometimes it does take humility to admit you need help, it’s beyond beneficial in the long run. So take that chance. Ask different organizations and businesses to get involved. Because truly, you miss all the shots you don’t take.”
Guillory has partnered with Keep Okaloosa Beautiful at local events to educate the public on plastic pollution, and she is planning more events for the New Year. KOB Director Molly McDaniel praised the teen for her work, and Crestview Mayor JB Whitten called her an “outstanding individual.”
All of the praise, both statewide and local, has been “incredibly uplifting,” said Guillory, whose career goals are to one day work for National Geographic and the United Nations. She wants to work with environmental researchers and get involved with sustainable development goals.
First, she will need to graduate from high school.
“That is for quite some time away in the future,” she admits. “Right now, I really want to focus on record-breaking attendance at a city-wide cleanup. I want to prove that Crestview cares.”
Follow Litter Locaters here.
For more information on Keep Okaloosa Beautiful and future events, visit www.facebook.com/keepokaloosabeautiful
