Summer Balfanz - Community Volunteer and Student in Minnesota

Attending high school in Roseville, Minnesota, Summer Balfanz is an honor student who had the opportunity to take part in a Capitals of Scandinavia overseas tour and visit the University of Oslo. She is active with Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation as a student coalition member. Summer Balfanz supports youth outreach in her community, with a focus on avoiding traditional and flavored tobacco, as well as vaping products.

She has also undertaken anti-smoking lobbying at the state legislative level. In addition, Ms. Balfanz and the Ramsey County Student Action Team were honored in May 2025 as the Group Youth Advocates of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids at the 2025 Youth Advocates of the Year Awards in Washington D.C.

Summer Balfanz’s interests span marketing, media, public speaking, and writing that fulfills a mission of positively influencing society, from businesses to the political system. She is passionate about efforts that bridge generations and contribute to small town economies and independent local farming.

In 2023, Ms. Balfanz earned the Honor Roll Speech Team Award as "Best First-Year Teammate.” She took first place in the Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic Speech Meet, and is active with the National Speech and Debate Association. An art enthusiast, Summer Balfanz counts Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, and Jean Michel Basquiat among her favorite painters.

A volunteer with the Ramsey County Library in Roseville, she competed in the 2025 Minnesota State Speech Tournament.