ARTICLE
On May 5, 2023, National Youth Service Day was celebrated in the City Of Norwich. Eight Norwich Youth were recognized for being leaders in their schools, and community. The goal of this event is to mobilize youth as leaders that identify, and address the needs of their communities through service and learning, support youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement, and educate the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders. Mayor Peter Nystrom, who has been a part of this event for years, states; "This is one of the nicest events that I am lucky enough to attend each year. The youth give me great pride that they come from Norwich and will possibly be our future leaders." Here is more information about each recipient: Alyssa Newson is the Treasurer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Norwich Robertstine Duncan Youth Council (RDYC) and a senior at Norwich Free Academy. She is a member of the Cape Verdean Club and Project Outreach at NFA. She is a member of the NFA Soccer Team, Indoor Track Team and Outdoor Track Team. Alyssa is an academic high achieving honor student at Norwich Free Academy who plans to attend Vanderbilt University studying Pre-Med in the fall of 2023. Eliana Cepeda Rodriguez has embraced the importance of diversity and multiculturalism at the Norwich Free Academy. Eliana exhibits leadership through involvement in a mentoring/tutoring program to assist new students who are learning English. Eliana is a member of the NAACP Youth Council and the Successful Latino Alliance helping students aspire to academic success in a variety of ways. Eliana has successfully participated in the planning of Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. Eliana will be attending the University of Connecticut at Avery Point majoring in Pre –Med. Analyse Valdez is a student at Three Rivers Magnet Middle College who has earned 25 college credits there. Outside the classroom, Analyse is the treasurer of the National Honor Society, editor of the yearbook and member of the school’s dance committee helping plan school dances and events. Analyse has been cheerleading for 8 years and is a Team Captain for the Norwich Youth Football League Cheerleading team. In the summer, Analyse interned at the Connecticut Youth Employment Program as a camp counselor and teaching assistant at a summer camp. Elya Anor is a 10th grade student at NFA. She is an active leader and member of Project Outreach program, and the Student Advisory Board. She maintains Highest Honors while taking challenging AP and Honors courses, and participating in cross country, as well as the indoor, and outdoor track teams. Elya has volunteered in her community as a St. Jude Commons Garden Helper, an O'Tis Festival Gift Wrapper, Reliance Health Winterfest 5k course monitor, Denison Pequotsepos Luminaria event helper, UWSECT Gemma Moran Warehouse volunteer, NFA College Fair assistant, and helped at the most recent Clean Up the Streets in Norwich. Elya is also a summer volunteer at Backus Hospital. Lillian Daniels is a junior in Pre- Electrical Engineering at Norwich Technical High School. Lilian is a member of a peer mentor program to help incoming freshman with the transition of going into high school. She has helped to plan school spirit weeks, and awareness weeks, in particular, Norwich Tech’s Mental Health Awareness Week. Lillian is a member of a youth organization for girls called The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. Through this organization, she has helped make a bench out of 1,275 pounds of stretchable plastic, which was donated to the Masonic Care in Mystic CT. She also helped to collect over 500 pounds of nonperishable food items to help support Saint Vincent DePaul Place, and over 1300 pounds of clothes to support families in need. Maddy Langlois attends NFA’s Compass program, where she has established herself as a leader and a friend. Her kindness and academic integrity are contagious, as she has become an integral part of the Compass program’s community. Maddy helps her classmates with assignments, and encourages them to strive for excellence. Maddy’s empathy and kindhearted nature extends not only to her classmates, but also to any staff member who has had the pleasure of working with her. She is resilient, empathetic, kind, and always willing to help others succeed. Maddy plans to attend Three Rivers Community College. Sawyer Barile is an exemplary leader and one of the strongest members of the New London County 4-H Junior Staff Program and the Connecticut 4-H Teen Ambassador Program. Sawyer was selected, as one of the delegates to represent Connecticut at the 4-H Citizen Washington Focus Program in Washington, D.C. Sawyer is also a member of the Connecticut 4-H Teen Council. Sawyer is a junior at Norwich Free Academy. Stephanie Herr has been involved in the 4-H Teen Ambassador Program for the last three years and has been a Junior Staff for two years. She has been involved with many community services projects, planning, implementing and running a statewide 4-H Teen Leader conference. She also was selected as a delegate to the 4-H Citizen Washington Focus Program in Washington D.C. She has been a presenter as part of the Eastern States Exposition and she is a leader in the 4-H Camp Junior Staff program. Stephanie is an amazingly organized problem solver. When working with a team, she is able to identify what needs to be done and how to do it. She articulates her ideas, listens to others and will be a driving force in getting the task accomplished. She encourages other to continue on, even when things get difficult, she embodies the phrase "we can do hard things." She is enthusiastic, good-natured, and a "team player."
On May 5, 2023, National Youth Service Day was celebrated in the City Of Norwich. Eight Norwich Youth were recognized for being leaders in their schools, and community. The goal of this event is to mobilize youth as leaders that identify, and address the needs of their communities through service and learning, support youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement, and educate the public, the media, and policymakers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders. Mayor Peter Nystrom, who has been a part of this event for years, states; "This is one of the nicest events that I am lucky enough to attend each year. The youth give me great pride that they come from Norwich and will possibly be our future leaders."
Here is more information about each recipient:
Alyssa Newson is the Treasurer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Norwich Robertstine Duncan Youth Council (RDYC) and a senior at Norwich Free Academy. She is a member of the Cape Verdean Club and Project Outreach at NFA. She is a member of the NFA Soccer Team, Indoor Track Team and Outdoor Track Team. Alyssa is an academic high achieving honor student at Norwich Free Academy who plans to attend Vanderbilt University studying Pre-Med in the fall of 2023.
Eliana Cepeda Rodriguez has embraced the importance of diversity and multiculturalism at the Norwich Free Academy. Eliana exhibits leadership through involvement in a mentoring/tutoring program to assist new students who are learning English. Eliana is a member of the NAACP Youth Council and the Successful Latino Alliance helping students aspire to academic success in a variety of ways. Eliana has successfully participated in the planning of Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. Eliana will be attending the University of Connecticut at Avery Point majoring in Pre –Med.
Analyse Valdez is a student at Three Rivers Magnet Middle College who has earned 25 college credits there. Outside the classroom, Analyse is the treasurer of the National Honor Society, editor of the yearbook and member of the school’s dance committee helping plan school dances and events. Analyse has been cheerleading for 8 years and is a Team Captain for the Norwich Youth Football League Cheerleading team. In the summer, Analyse interned at the Connecticut Youth Employment Program as a camp counselor and teaching assistant at a summer camp.
Elya Anor is a 10th grade student at NFA. She is an active leader and member of Project Outreach program, and the Student Advisory Board. She maintains Highest Honors while taking challenging AP and Honors courses, and participating in cross country, as well as the indoor, and outdoor track teams. Elya has volunteered in her community as a St. Jude Commons Garden Helper, an O'Tis Festival Gift Wrapper, Reliance Health Winterfest 5k course monitor, Denison Pequotsepos Luminaria event helper, UWSECT Gemma Moran Warehouse volunteer,
NFA College Fair assistant, and helped at the most recent Clean Up the Streets in Norwich. Elya is also a summer volunteer at Backus Hospital.
Lillian Daniels is a junior in Pre- Electrical Engineering at Norwich Technical High School. Lilian is a member of a peer mentor program to help incoming freshman with the transition of going into high school. She has helped to plan school spirit weeks, and awareness weeks, in particular, Norwich Tech’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
Lillian is a member of a youth organization for girls called The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. Through this organization, she has helped make a bench out of 1,275 pounds of stretchable plastic, which was donated to the Masonic Care in Mystic CT. She also helped to collect over 500 pounds of nonperishable food items to help support Saint Vincent DePaul Place, and over 1300 pounds of clothes to support families in need.
Maddy Langlois attends NFA’s Compass program, where she has established herself as a leader and a friend. Her kindness and academic integrity are contagious, as she has become an integral part of the Compass program’s community. Maddy helps her classmates with assignments, and encourages them to strive for excellence. Maddy’s empathy and kindhearted nature extends not only to her classmates, but also to any staff member who has had the pleasure of working with her. She is resilient, empathetic, kind, and always willing to help others succeed. Maddy plans to attend Three Rivers Community College.
Sawyer Barile is an exemplary leader and one of the strongest members of the New London County 4-H Junior Staff Program and the Connecticut 4-H Teen Ambassador Program. Sawyer was selected, as one of the delegates to represent Connecticut at the 4-H Citizen Washington Focus Program in Washington, D.C. Sawyer is also a member of the Connecticut 4-H Teen Council. Sawyer is a junior at Norwich Free Academy.
Stephanie Herr has been involved in the 4-H Teen Ambassador Program for the last three years and has been a Junior Staff for two years. She has been involved with many community services projects, planning, implementing and running a statewide 4-H Teen Leader conference. She also was selected as a delegate to the 4-H Citizen Washington Focus Program in Washington D.C. She has been a presenter as part of the Eastern States Exposition and she is a leader in the 4-H Camp Junior Staff program.
Stephanie is an amazingly organized problem solver. When working with a team, she is able to identify what needs to be done and how to do it. She articulates her ideas, listens to others and will be a driving force in getting the task accomplished. She encourages other to continue on, even when things get difficult, she embodies the phrase "we can do hard things." She is enthusiastic, good-natured, and a "team player."