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

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ankitha Kumar, 17, of Inver Grove and Sarah Erickson, 14, of Excelsior today were named Minnesota'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, Ankitha and Sarah 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 Minnesota's top youth volunteers of 2021:

High School State Honoree: Ankitha Kumar
Nominated by Eagan High School

Ankitha, a senior at Eagan High School, started a free online tutoring service after the COVID-19 pandemic halted her in-person tutoring sessions, a service that has now expanded to encompass 17 volunteer tutors and more than 300 students across the United States and overseas. For three years prior to the pandemic, Ankitha had tutored children at the Good Neighbor Center, a facility that provides underserved youth with a meal and a safe space for academic support. But in March of 2020, the center had to close temporarily because of the virus. "A lot of the kids would text me and say they had 15 assignments missing already and they needed help," said Ankitha. So she called the center director and offered to begin tutoring online.

With the help of a few friends, Ankitha set up a website to connect students with a free tutor. As demand for her "ConneXions" service grew, she recruited and trained more tutors, and created individualized lesson plans in core subjects as well as in computer science, foreign languages, public speaking and ACT preparation. To amplify her impact, she asked teachers in 12 school districts in Minnesota to identify students who might benefit from extra help. Ankitha estimates that she and her fellow tutors have now logged more than 1,500 hours tutoring kids from nearly all 50 states and 12 foreign countries. Test scores for ConneXions students have increased by more than 30 percent, Ankitha said, but the most important outcome has been a boost in student confidence. "Students who thought they could never be good at math now believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to," she said. "Students who thought they could never graduate high school are now on track to be first-generation college students."

Middle Level State Honoree: Sarah Erickson
Nominated by Minnetonka Middle School West

Sarah, an eighth-grader at Minnetonka Middle School West, makes and donates masks to neighbors, nursing homes and hospitals to help protect people in her community from COVID-19. As a member of her school's service club since sixth grade, Sarah had been involved in many community service projects, including buying books for a nearby school, raising money for wildfire relief in Australia, singing at nursing homes and volunteering at the local humane society. She really wanted to take on her own project, but couldn't decide how best to help. Then her great-uncle died from COVID-19. "I really wanted to do something to help protect others," said Sarah. "Not only do masks protect the person who wears one, but it protects others."

With little sewing experience, Sarah knew her project wouldn't be easy. She started by watching a tutorial on YouTube, and then got to work. "My first couple of masks took me 1 to 2 hours because I couldn't remember the steps or I sewed the elastic the wrong way, and it was pretty frustrating," she said. But the more she sewed, the easier it became, and it wasn't long before she was modifying her masks with wires around the nose, thinner elastic, and better material, all changes that made them more comfortable to wear. In the first six months of the pandemic, Sarah spent more than 60 hours making over 70 masks. "I know how much masks help the world," she said, "so I am determined to help until it isn't an issue anymore."

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.

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