Oregon's Top Youth Volunteers of 2021 Selected by National Program

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Suraj Kulkarni, 17, of Corvallis and Jenell Theobald, 14, of Beaverton today were named Oregon's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.

As State Honorees, Suraj and Jenell will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program's virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.

"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO. "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."

These are Oregon's top youth volunteers of 2021:

High School State Honoree: Suraj Kulkarni
Nominated by Corvallis High School

Suraj, a senior at Corvallis High School, created a website where young people of diverse backgrounds can share their experiences, perspectives and culture with one another, along with online conferences that have involved young people from more than 13 countries. As an Indian American, Suraj had to get used to school mates joking about his name, making fun of his lunch food, and humiliating him in other ways because of his background. As a result, "I felt ashamed of my own culture and heritage," he said. When the Black Lives Matter movement brought topics of race and discrimination to the forefront last year, Suraj felt the need to provide all teens who identify as minorities with a platform to talk comfortably about their cultures, their unique struggles and experiences with prejudice, and to understand that all of their individual qualities matter.

He recruited a half-dozen friends to help him set up a website and begin writing and publishing posts on the site, which now features more than 20 articles by minority students plus interviews with notable minority public figures. Suraj and his team also established a presence on Instagram, and started hosting online awareness conferences to connect students all over the world. In addition, Suraj organized an "Awareness and Acceptance Week" in his hometown of Corvallis, during which hundreds of students watched videos of minority teens discussing prejudice and ways to counter systemic discrimination. "Especially in today's climate, it's so important to be understanding of each other's struggles," said Suraj.

Middle Level State Honoree: Jenell Theobald
Nominated by Whitford Middle School

Jenell, an eighth-grader at Whitford Middle School, has been a dedicated volunteer for the special-needs camp that she attended every summer, and founded a nonprofit organization to advocate for people with disabilities. Jenell is mindful of the challenges of living with a disability; due to high-functioning autism, she's had to switch schools often, making it difficult to maintain friendships and build social skills. Then she discovered Camp Meadowood Springs. "Those summers were the happiest of my life," said Jenell. "I was able to relate to and make friends with kids who were similar to me, and I felt like the counselors truly understood me."

Wanting to give back, Jenell began volunteering to get Meadowood Springs the "attention it deserves." She authored a Wikipedia article for the camp, took its promotional fliers to seven school districts, gave speeches at various events, and recruited 35 volunteers to spend Memorial Day weekend helping the camp prepare for its next summer session. Then she formed a charity called "Let's Peer Up" to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are not overlooked. One of its first successes was persuading the Beaverton City Council to reinstate a disabilities advisory board that had been disbanded years earlier. "Our goal is to empower people with disabilities across Oregon, and provide them with the opportunity to advocate for themselves," said Jenell.

State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards. 

"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need," said Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP. "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."

To read the names and stories of all of this year's State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. 

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 http://nassp.org.

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.PRUDENTIAL.com