This paper investigates high school students' perceptions of the opportunities and challenges of using digital badges to recognize and reward the skills and achievements they acquire in an afterschool science education program. Focus groups and usability tests were conducted with 10 students during the design of a badge system prototype for use in the program. We found that students recognized opportunities for personal empowerment in their use of badges, but also expressed concerns about sharing badges in various online contexts. The findings provide new insight into the values and goals that learners bring to discussions of digital badges in education. These insights hold relevance for designers of education-based badge systems as well as educators seeking to introduce badges into their practice.