RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rayan Yu, 16,
of Vienna and Ryan Janaske, 12, of Ashburn today were named Virginia's top two youth volunteers of 2020 by
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program
honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As
State Honorees, Rayan and Ryan 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 2020.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its
25th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP).
These are Virginia's top youth
volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Rayan
Yu
Nominated by James Madison High
School
Rayan, a junior at James Madison High School,
worked with a partner to create free STEM-education mobile apps to
help level the playing field for students around the world who
otherwise might not have the resources to reach their full
potential. Two summers ago, Rayan tutored students in his father's
hometown, an underserved village in China. He saw a real desperation to learn, but
the obstacles were great. "Their schools lacked textbooks,
curriculums and even teachers," said Rayan. "It was heartbreaking
to see so many lose their potential simply because they did not
have access to quality education."
When Rayan returned home, he founded "inGenius X," a nonprofit
whose mission is to provide "easy access to education anywhere and
everywhere." With the help of a partner, Rayan set out to create a
math-based app. The pair spent a year coding, creating graphics,
developing a curriculum, programming problem sets for practice, and
testing it out on themselves, friends and family. Since their first
app, "Mathtivity," was certified and published, it has been
downloaded more than 10,000 times, said Rayan. Two more apps that
deal with science-related subjects are finished and awaiting
certification, and three more are in development, all incorporating
hours of interactive practice and video lectures. In addition to
building their apps, Rayan persuaded a local university to sponsor
and host a 24-hour hackathon featuring a computer science
competition, coding workshops and speaker panels made up of rising
tech leaders. The free event is designed for local students who
otherwise might not have the same opportunities in computer science
as those who go to school in affluent areas.
Middle Level State Honoree: Ryan
Janaske
Nominated by Trailside Middle
School
Ryan, a seventh-grader at Trailside Middle
School, stuffs up to 100 backpacks with school supplies each summer
and donates them to elementary schools in her area for students who
can't afford to start the school year with everything they need.
Ryan used to help with a school-supply drive led by her mother at
her workplace, but after her mom got a new job, Ryan knew that many
of the kids who got help were no longer going to get the school
supplies they needed. "I came up with the idea of starting my own
charity because I liked what my mom did and how it made me feel
when I helped people," said Ryan. She called her charity "Kids
Helping Kids."
Before the start of summer, Ryan kicks off her fundraising
efforts by sending letters to family members and friends to solicit
donations. Next, she goes shopping to buy backpacks, pencils, glue
sticks and other items. Then Ryan, with the help of three friends
and her mother, stuffs the backpacks and gets them ready for
delivery. At the end of the summer, she and her team load up her
mother's car and take the backpacks to school principals around her
community. "I know the work I do each summer puts smiles on kids'
faces," said Ryan. "I feel like I am making the world a better
place, one backpack at a
time."
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also
recognized six other Virginia students as Distinguished
Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each
will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Virginia's
Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Lina Alkarmi, 17, of Sterling, Virginia, a senior at Dominion
High School, started and runs "Princess Packages," a nonprofit that
has given more than 400 princess-themed care packages to young
patients in hospitals; her efforts include spreading awareness of
her cause, recruiting volunteers, organizing packaging events and
delivering the care packages. Lina was first inspired to start her
project to help cheer up patients after visiting a young family
member in the hospital.
Perisa Ashar, 16, of Glen Allen,
Virginia, a member of Henrico
County 4-H and a junior at Maggie L. Walker Governor's
School, started "STEMinate," through which she hosts coding,
robotics and chemistry workshops for elementary and middle school
students; she also developed a website that includes tutorials on
coding and making DIY science kits. Perisa was inspired to start
this project after learning about the lack of women and African
Americans in STEM fields.
Azaria Cherry, 15, of
Norfolk, Virginia, a sophomore
at Maury High School, started and runs "ZincGirlz," holding regular
meetings and STEM-related workshops for elementary school girls
from underserved communities; she has also donated care packages
for people experiencing homelessness, backpacks to students in
need, and 100 copies of "The King of Kindergarten" to local
kindergarten classrooms. Azaria started ZincGirlz to encourage
young girls' interest in STEM fields.
Neeyanth Kopparapu, 18, of Herndon,
Virginia, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for
Science and Technology, co-founded "GirlsComputingLeague," which
provides STEM-related learning opportunities for students from
underserved communities; his efforts include securing funds and
helping organize several hackathons and more than 50 workshops. The
league also hosted a high school AI conference, awarding grants to
students who harness AI for social good.
Logan Speckhard, 17, of
Ashburn, Virginia, a senior at
Briar Woods High School, runs "Athletes Crush Cancer," which raises
money for families affected by cancer; through her program, local
sports teams secure sponsors for their athletic season, who donate
each time players get hits or score goals. Logan, who also spreads
awareness of her cause through social media, was first inspired to
start her project after losing a childhood friend to cancer.
Shreyaa Venkat, 17, of Ashburn,
Virginia, a senior at Broad Run High School, started and
runs "NEST4US," which provides volunteer and leadership
opportunities to young people; she has participated in a variety of
causes, including collecting and delivering donations for food
shelters, assembling care packages for people affected by
hurricanes, running book drives and establishing a free tutoring
program. Through NEST4US, Shreyaa has recruited more than 500
volunteers and served thousands of people.
"In our 25th year of honoring young volunteers,
we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to
address the needs of a changing world," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential
Financial, Inc. "We hope that their resolve, their initiative and
their perspectives on society's challenges move others to consider
how they can make a difference, too."
"Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable
things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer
service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning
with real-world challenges," said JoAnn
Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP.
"Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it's an honor
to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change."
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 Points of Light Global Network members, 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 4, 10 of the State
Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will
be named America's top youth volunteers of 2020. These National
Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal
trophies and $5,000 grants from
Prudential for nonprofit charitable organizations of their
choice.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 130,000 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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