Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 5-5-17

Local
Commissioners Recognize YEA Awards Recipients
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Wednesday, members of the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners pre- sented five students with awards. The students were chosen as the recipients of the YEA Awards!
Each year, students who have distinguished themselves as leaders, overcome seem- ingly insurmountable odds, and excelled in volunteerism or community service are rec- ognized. The recipients of the YEA Awards, an acronym for Youth Excellence and Achieve- ment, are chosen from a pool of contenders. The six are then recognized during the regular meeting of the Hillsborough County Board of Commission- ers.
The winners of the Leader- ship Award this year are: Kyla Clewis and Ben Bryant.
Kyla Clewis is a student at Liberty Middle School. She is the student body president and a leader in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is a member of the Future Busi- ness Leaders of America and the National Junior Honor So- ciety.
Kyla also volunteers with children’s programs at her church and plays the harp in
The Hillsborough County Commissioners recognized 6 high school students during the regular ses- sion on Wednesday. The five were the recipients of the YEA! Awards, presented to outstanding high school students. Shown in this photograph on the first row are: Guadalupe Villegas, Ian Farmer, Sydney Bagrowski, Kyla Clewis, and Ava Isabella Moreno. (Ben Bryant is not shown). Hillsborough Commis- sioners shown on the back row are: Patricia Kemp, Al Higginbotham, Sandra Murman, Stacy White, Les Miller, Jr., and Victor Crist. Commissioner Ken Hagan is not shown. (Photo courtesy of Hillsbor- ough County).
Isabella M0reno.
Sydney Bagrowski, at-
tends Armwood High School. Through her “Cuddles 4 Cancer” project, Sydney distributes new stuffed ani- mals and handmade fleece blankets to children with can- cer.
She received the Girl Scout Gold Award and is in the Na- tional Honor Society. She has more than 120 volunteer hours not reflective of the time she dedicates to the “Cuddles 4 Cancer” Project. She hopes to study Criminal Justice.
A student at Progress Vil- lage Middle Magnet School, Ava Isabella Moreno dedi- cates a lot of her time to help the homeless. She brings water to people living on the street, buys blankets for residents at a homeless shelter, and re- cently delivered supplies to Alpha House.
The Alpha House is a tem- porary home for homeless pregnant women and mothers with young children. She is an honor roll student, a competi- tive dancer, and is active in her church’s youth group.
nursing homes and hospitals. Benjamin Bryant at- tends Freedom High School. He is an officer in Freedom High’s marching band, an Eagle Scout, and a recipient of the Virgil Honor, the highest award bestowed by Scouting’s honor society, Order of the
Arrow.
In his spare time, he enjoys
playing ultimate Frisbee and video games.
The Success Despite Diffi-
cult Odds recipients are: Guadalupe Villegas and Ian Farmer.
Guadalupe Villegas is a student at Lennard High School. When her mother was badly injured in a car accident, Guadalupe missed school for about seven months while car- ing for her around the clock.
She took online classes and made the extra effort to catch up to her classmates, Guadalupe excelled academ- ically and will graduate with her class. She hopes to become a nurse.
Ian Farmer is a member of the Buchanan Bio-Engi- neering Academy. Ian has overcome personal obstacles to thrive academically and so- cially.
A member of the National Junior Honor Society, he was named “Best Overall” in the sixth grade in recognition of his accomplishments and con-
tributions. He also plays vio- lin.
The third category recog- nized by the Commissioners is Volunteerism and Community Service. The recipients of the awards in that category are: Sydney Bagrowski and Ava
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