ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Jothi Ramaswamy, 17, of Mohegan Lake and Samaia Goodrich, 11, of
Syracuse today were named
New York's top two youth
volunteers of 2019 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a
nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of
volunteerism. As State Honorees, Jothi and Samaia each
will receive $1,000, an engraved
silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to
Washington, D.C., where they will
join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the
District of Columbia for four days of national
recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be
named America's top youth volunteers of 2019.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its
24th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP).
These are New York's top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Jothi Ramaswamy
Nominated by
Lakeland High School
Jothi, a senior at Lakeland High School, has partnered with
corporations and universities to conduct more than 45 technology
workshops for girls in grades 3-12, while connecting them to female
role models who have had successful careers in science, tech,
engineering and math (STEM). "Thirty-three boys. Zero girls. My jaw
dropped," Jothi said, when her brother mentioned the gender ratio
of his computer coding class. She knew firsthand how valuable those
skills are, because her mother, an engineer, had been able to step
back into her career and support the family after the death of
Jothi's father. "It fired up my determination to even the playing
field," she said. Her response was to start a nonprofit
organization called "ThinkSTEAM," with an "a" for "arts" added to
STEM subjects. "I realized that so many girls are incredibly
artistic, and teaching them how to combine their own creativity
with technology is the perfect way to encourage them to learn about
STEM," Jothi said.
After creating a website and assembling a board of directors,
Jothi asked IBM to help her host a wearable technology workshop to
show girls the intersection of technology and fashion. It was so
successful that she collaborated with her school district to put on
an all-day series of workshops for 75 middle school girls. So far,
Jothi has organized more than 45 workshops in partnership with
companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google, as well as with
Columbia and Stanford universities. She also has conducted an
annual contest inviting girls in five countries to create videos
that encourage girls to pursue STEAM subjects. ThinkSTEAM now has
student ambassadors organizing workshops for girls in eight states.
In total, Jothi estimates that her organization has engaged more
than 1,000 girls.
Middle Level State Honoree: Samaia
Goodrich
Nominated by Expeditionary Learning Middle
School
Samaia, a sixth-grader at Expeditionary Learning Middle School,
organizes projects in her community to encourage inner-city youth
to make a difference, including an effort to raise money to buy
Christmas presents for Puerto Rican families who moved to
Syracuse after Hurricane Maria
devastated their homeland. "My parents say that I used to write the
word 'love' all over the house," said Samaia. "I have always loved
to help and give to others." When she was in elementary school,
Samaia started the "Let Our Voices Echo (LOVE) Project –
Syracuse." Her first initiative
was collecting bottles to recycle and then purchasing LOVE Project
T-shirts for her classmates to wear as they helped clean up their
school grounds and a park. Other service projects followed.
Like everyone, Samaia was saddened to see the effects of
Hurricane Maria on the news. Then she heard that some families with
children were moving to her community. "I knew I had to do
something to help the kids and families who lost everything," she
said. She came up with a plan to give Christmas presents to the new
arrivals and make it their "best Christmas ever." She shared her
idea with her parents and recruited friends, school officials and
her student council to help. Samaia then sought donations of food,
clothing, gift cards and new toys by distributing a promotional
flier, sending letters to businesses and setting up donation boxes.
A TV interview also helped get the word out. With the help of 60
volunteers, Samaia ended up collecting more than $5,000 worth of donations to make Christmas
bright for the families of seven students in her grade. The gifts
were presented at a bilingual Christmas celebration proudly hosted
by Samaia.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized eight other New York
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are New York's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Sara Blau, 17, of Brookville, N.Y., a senior at Schechter
School of Long Island, founded
"Game Changers New York," a nonprofit that has collected and
donated more than 6,650 pieces of sports equipment for children in
need across the globe. She has played an instrumental role in
collaborating with organizations and local volunteers to host
fundraisers and collection events to procure sporting goods; so
far, her initiative has donated equipment to more than 15
organizations in three countries.
Riley Damiano, 17, of
Patterson, N.Y., a junior
at Wooster School, has raised approximately $11,000 for pediatric cancer research as part of
an initiative she created called "The Blue Lollipop Project."
In memory of a child who loved blue lollipops and died from brain
cancer, the initiative sells blue lollipops, donates one to a child
in a hospital and donates all profits to The Ty Louis Campbell
Foundation, which supports cancer research and families of children
with cancer.
James Fallon, 17, of
Armonk, N.Y., a junior at
EF Academy, spearheads healing art projects as the head youth
volunteer at Heavenly Productions Foundation, which administers
themed arts and crafts projects for pediatric patients at the Maria
Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla,
NY. He raised more than $15,000 for the projects, and also has donated
toiletries, clothing, food and blankets to homeless shelters and
other charitable organizations.
Cayla Kumar, 16, of
Queens Village, N.Y., a
junior at Archbishop Molloy High School, created "The Gold Ribbon
Project" to raise money for pediatric cancer research, and has
brought in more than $25,000 through
her efforts selling gold lapel ribbons. Named the first youth
ambassador for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, she also
traveled to Washington, D.C. for
the CureFest rally, where she got to speak to legislators about
increasing cancer research funding.
Sarah Locurto, 17, of
North Tonawanda, N.Y., a
senior at Niagara Wheatfield Senior High School, started "Because
Char Smiled," an initiative that has mobilized volunteers to create
thousands of paper flowers to donate to patients with cancer who
cannot enjoy live flowers while in medical centers. She has
provided flower-making tutorials to 600 volunteers of all ages, and
worked with organizations including The Federated Garden Clubs of
New York State, Inc.
Heather McNamara, 17, of
Islip Terrace, N.Y., a
senior at East Islip High School, has raised approximately
$45,000 for charities including the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The pediatric cancer survivor also creates activity bags for
pediatric patients in the hospital as part of "Heather's Survival
Bags," and serves as a spokesperson for the New York Blood Center
and New York-Presbyterian/Columbia
University Medical Center.
Aditya Sehgal, 16, of Deer Park,
N.Y., a junior at Half Hollow Hills High School
West, advocates for equal opportunities for education and organizes
school supply donations as the founder of the nonprofit
organization "Genius In Need." Aditya oversees program operations
ranging from setting up drop boxes to coordinating with
distributors and county officials; his group has raised thousands
of dollars for school supplies and donated them to low-income
schools in the Long Island
area.
Jake Young, 12, of
Lido Beach, N.Y., a
seventh-grader at Long Beach Middle School, volunteers with the
New York chapter of the Little
Saint Nick Foundation, leading children in community groups to pack
anti-anxiety gift bags that serve 600-1,000 pediatric emergency
room patients every month. He and his siblings also dress in
costume to distribute the goodies to hospitals on a monthly basis,
often interacting with patient and staff members to brighten their
day.
"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they
can make meaningful contributions to individuals and
communities through their service," said Prudential CEO
Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to
recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on
their service inspires others to consider how they might make a
difference."
"Each of these honorees is proof that students have the energy,
creativity and unique perspectives to create positive change," said
JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director
of NASSP. "We commend each of the 2019 honorees for their
outstanding volunteer service, and for the invaluable example
they've set for their peers."
About The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents
the United States' largest youth
recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public
and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well
as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red
Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn
Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local
Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These Local Honorees were
then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State
Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including
personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.
While in Washington, D.C., the
102 State Honorees – one middle level and one high school
student from each state and the District
of Columbia – will tour the capital's landmarks, meet top
youth volunteers from other parts of the world, attend a gala
awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History, and visit their congressional representatives on
Capitol Hill. On May 6, 10 of the
State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students –
will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019. These
National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies
and $5,000 grants from The Prudential
Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their
choice.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 125,000 young
volunteers have been honored at the local, state and national
level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China
and Brazil. In addition to
granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
program also distributes President's Volunteer Service Awards to
qualifying Local Honorees.
For information on all of this year's Prudential Spirit of
Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit
http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.
About NASSP
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other
school leaders across the United
States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school
leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's
potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the
success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to
student leadership development, NASSP administers the National
Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National
Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council. Learn
more at www.nassp.org.
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services
leader, has operations in the United
States, Asia, Europe, and Latin
America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are
committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow
and protect their wealth through a variety of products and
services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related
services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S.,
Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability,
expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more
information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.
For Spirit of Community Awards
program logo and medallion
graphics, please visit
https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media
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