Middle and high school students from Somerset and Hunterdon counties were honored for their achievements at the 34th Annual Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards, held April 3 at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. The event was sponsored by the College’s Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice. The evening featured a keynote address by Inieka Stafford, Director of Health and Technology Programs at RVCC, who is also an elected official of the Piscataway School Board.
With over two decades of dedicated service, Ms. Stafford has emerged as a transformative leader in education and community development. Her multifaceted career bridges critical sectors including K-12 education, higher learning, special education, and juvenile justice, creating comprehensive pathways for student success.
The National Council of Negro Women and RVCC initiated the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards program to pay tribute to the outstanding attainments of students in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. The awards are named in honor of Paul Robeson, a Princeton native who grew up in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School and Rutgers University. The awards are given in four areas in which Robeson excelled: Scholarship, the Arts, Community Service and Athletics, as well as special “Renaissance Awards” given to students who excel in a number of disciplines.
The Evelyn Field Visionary Award also was presented at the ceremony. The award pays tribute to the founding member of the RVCC Board of Trustees, who was a dynamic and compassionate advocate for promoting diversity and equality on campus. In 1990 Evelyn Field established the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Program to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy as a role model for excellence.
Approximately 80 students were nominated for awards by their school counselors, teachers, and administrators. A special committee of RVCC faculty and staff members selected the award recipients. The following middle school students received special honors: Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Art Achievement Award Samuel Emery: Bernardsville Middle School Ava Jackson: North Plainfield Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Athletic Achievement Award Kaylee Winfrey: Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus Trevor Laws: Franklin Middle School – Sampson G.
Smith CampusPaul Robeson Youth Middle School Community Service Achievement Award Devyn Reed: North Plainfield Middle School Hailey Womack: Hillsborough Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Scholarship Achievement Award Kyleigh Noble: Franklin Middle School – Sampson G. Smith Campus David Wells: Somerville Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Renaissance Award Daniel Peters: Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Campus Evelyn Field Visionary Award – Middle School Wanjugu Maluki: Hillsborough Middle School The following high school students received special honors: Paul Robeson Youth High School Athletic Achievement Award Daniel Brown: Immaculata High School Ivy Aiyegbo: Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Community Service Achievement Award Paula Abhulimen: North Plainfield High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Scholarship Achievement Award Sage Stokes: Immaculata High School Charles Alexis: Immaculata High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Renaissance Award Jewel Davis: Immaculata High School Evelyn Field Visionary Award – High School Sela Powell: Immaculata High School The Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice was founded in 1999 to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy in the area where he came of age as an artist, athlete, orator, and scholar. The Institute envisions a global community of diverse cultures that embodies, through attitudes and behaviors, Paul Robeson’s ideals, beliefs, values and vision for a world of justice and peace.
The Paul Robeson Resource Room, located in RVCC’s Evelyn S. Field Library, is an information center for Robeson’s national and worldwide activities. Established in 2003, the Resource Room serves as a repository for educational materials, historical records, and memorabilia of Robeson’s Somerville years and the worldwide accomplishments of people of African-American descent.
RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 15, 2025Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383PR #89