For the past thirty-four years, in honor of Sojourner Truth, Orange County Community College has celebrated its youth by awarding them for their achievements. SUNY Orange continues to recognize the accomplishments of these deserving students in grades 6-12 and encourage college attendance as an option for students from groups traditionally under-represented in the college population.
Those students nominated by their schools received a medal and a Certificate of Recognition from SUNY Orange on Friday, March 8, 2024.
The event’s keynote speaker was Honorable Theresa R. Cayton, a City Court Judge in the City of Middletown who began her educational journey in Criminal Justice with an A.S. from SUNY Orange.
Students were selected for excellence in one of 10 key areas:
- Athletics – Possessing natural and trained aptitude for excellence in competitive sports, while exhibiting sportsmanship, team spirit, and grace in victory and defeat and/or demonstrate achievements in physical education classes and extra-curricular activities.
- Citizenship – Exhibiting continuous courtesy, thoughtfulness, and service to others, obvious both in and out of the school environment.
- Creative Arts – Talent and obvious achievement in drama, speech, dance, theater production, music, printing, sculpture, design, graphics, visual arts and extra-curricula programs.
- Diversity – Demonstrates acceptance and respect of individual differences and cultural traditions.
- English Language Arts (ELA) – Skilled in reading, writing, reading comprehension, poetry, creative writing, school newspaper, exceptional written and spoken vocabulary.
- Foreign Languages – Achievements in a language other than English for communication that exhibits cross-cultural skills and understanding.
- Mathematics – High achievement in logical thinking, mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry processes and concepts, arrangements, sets, relationships and properties.
- Perseverance/Effort – Demonstrating achievement by overcoming obstacles. Showing a willingness to extend high levels of effort and resolve in the face of adversity.
- Sciences – Exceptional ability in the observation, identification, description, and investigation of natural phenomena. Success in methodical experimentation, recording and explanation.
- Technology – Achievements in computer and technology classes and extra-curricular programs.
Goshen Central School District winners
Arif Ahmed – Goshen High School – Sciences
Janay Bailey – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Fatoumata Balde – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Fatima Barry – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Jaden Bisono – Goshen High School – Athletics
Tristan Brown – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort
Jefferson Calle Carchi Castillo – Goshen High School – Citizenship
Matthew Valencia – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Isabella Chavez Cruz – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Jandiel Hernandez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – CItizenship
Nathan Cubillo – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Creative Arts
Elijah Decembre – Goshen High School – Technology
Madison Escobar – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Daniel Espinoza-Perez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages
Gabryel Fernandez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Jamila Fierros – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort
Ayooluwapo Folami – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Luther Fortugno – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages
Kiran Foster – Goshen High School – English Language Arts (ELA)
Saul Garcia – Goshen High School – Athletics
Yamen Ghaly – Goshen High School – Sciences
Lamia Guzman – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Corey Hudgins – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Sydney Huynh – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Benoria Karpeh – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Hashir Khan – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Joseph Leppert – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Diego Luna Bazan – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences
Joanna Luna Mendez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Diversity
Mahnoor Mahmood – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Creative Arts
Josue Marcelin, Jr. – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences
Jonathan Marin – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Alex Martinez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Micaela Martinez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
David Contreras – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences
Matthew Moore – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences
Audrey Mosquera – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Mary Mott – Goshen High School – Citizenship
Karol Moya – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort
Isabella Ortiz – Goshen High School – Creative Arts
Jeilynn Palomino – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort
Meera Grace Patel – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences
Nishi Patel – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Xavir Perez Espinoza – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Joshua Phillips – Goshen High School – Athletics
Vanessa Quaye – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Luka Radjenovic – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages
Gabrielle Rivera – Goshen High School – Creative Arts
Amya Roach Long – Goshen High School – Citizenship
Angel Rodriguez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics
Melanie Rodriguez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Alexa Rosario Sanchez – Goshen High School – Citizenship
Nathaly Trinidad – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort
Joseline Sandoval – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort
Vincent Santoro – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages
Noah Warburton – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship
Scarlett Winkler – Goshen High School – Citizenship
Elijah Woods – Goshen High School – Technology