Middle and high school students from Somerset and Hunterdon counties were honored for their achievements at the 31st Annual Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards, held April 7 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 Dr.
Jennifer Pearce-Morris, RVCC Associate Professor of Sociology. Dr. Pearce-Morris teaches Introduction to Sociology, Contemporary Social Problems, Marriage & Family, and Technological Literacy across the Social Sciences at RVCC.
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 the two 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 were 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. 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 Mrs.
Field established the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Program to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy as a role model for excellence. More than 100 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 Alicia Acosta Spencer – Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus Erica Sollberger – North Plainfield Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Athletic Achievement Award Taylor Daniels – Hillsborough Middle School Layla Gutierrez – North Plainfield Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Community Service Achievement Award Myles Cherette – Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus Kaydence Frank – Green Brook Middle School Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Scholarship Achievement Award Jocelyn Knight – Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus Derek Peters Jr. – Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Renaissance Award Sean Souvenir – Readington Middle School Evelyn Field Visionary Award – Middle School Jordyn Barcelo – North Plainfield Middle School The following high school students received special honors: Paul Robeson Youth High School Art Achievement Award Olaoluwa Fawole – Bridgewater-Raritan High School Shane Yerramilli – Hunterdon Central High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Athletic Achievement Award Shahkkai Matthews – Immaculata High School Martin Wantong – Immaculata High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Community Service Achievement Award Sulakha Jama – Bridgewater-Raritan High School Arden Primus – Immaculata High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Scholarship Achievement Award Diyara Cody – Academy for Health and Medical Sciences at Somerset Vocational & Technical High School McKinley Pestano-Young – Hunterdon Central High School Paul Robeson Youth High School Renaissance Award Ariel Griffith – Hillsborough High School Evelyn Field Visionary Award – Middle School Maya Mathews – 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 RELEASE April 11, 2022 Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383 PR #112