Karina Franke, 10, from Cortlandt, New York, is a leader, not a follower. In 2006, she started a campaign to save the endangered Karner blue butterfly (left). For a year, Karina wrote letters to her state representatives, hoping to make the insect the state's official butterfly. More than 33,000 students voted for their favorite butterfly from five choices. The winner, announced on January 8, was the red-spotted purple (right). The Karner blue came in a close second. "I learned that kids really do have a voice," Karina told TFK. Lawmakers still must pass a bill to give New York its official butterfly.