Township Middle, High School Students Honored by RVCC Robeson Institute

Nine township middle and high school students were recently honored with Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards, given by the Raritan Valley Community College’s Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice.

In addition to heavy Franklin representation among the current student honorees, the April 11 awards ceremony’s keynote speaker was Tiana Joy Jackson, a member of the 2019 state championship Lady Warriors basketball team and a recent graduate of the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Jackson, who is a substitute teacher in the district, graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Marketing and a Master’s in Business Administration in four years, and recently created her own graphic design business, Graphics By T, which focuses on creating posters, logos, business cards, and other related projects.

The National Council of Negro Women and RVCC initiated the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards program to pay tribute to the outstanding attainments of students in Somerset and Hunterdon counties, according to a press release about the awards.

The awards are named in honor of Paul Robeson, a Princeton native who grew up in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School and Rutgers University. The awards are given in four areas in which Robeson excelled: Scholarship, the Arts, Community Service and Athletics, as well as special “Renaissance Awards” given to students who excel in a number of disciplines, according to the release.

Approximately 100students were nominated for awards by their school counselors, teachers, and administrators. A special committee of RVCC faculty and staff members selected the award recipients.

In total, 20 students from Somerset and Hunterdon counties were honored.

The Franklin Middle School students honored were:

Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Art Achievement Award

• Rayanah Litman: Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus
• Salma Robinson Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus

Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Athletic Achievement Award

• Nola Bright: Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus
• Damaso Maddix Munoz Jr.: Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus

Paul Robeson Youth Middle School Scholarship Achievement Award

• Kerys Snowden: Franklin Middle School – SGS Campus
• Peyton White: Franklin Middle School – SGS Campus

Franklin High School students winning awards were:

Paul Robeson Youth High School Art Achievement Award

• Da’Nia Matthews

Paul Robeson Youth High School Community Service Achievement Award

• Isaiah Daniels

Paul Robeson Youth High School Scholarship Achievement Award

• Rosabel  Obguja

The Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice was founded in 1999 to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy in the area where he came of age as an artist, athlete, orator, and scholar. The Institute envisions a global community of diverse cultures that embodies, through attitudes and behaviors, Paul Robeson’s ideals, beliefs, values and vision for a world of justice and peace.

The Paul Robeson Resource Room, located in RVCC’s Evelyn S. Field Library, is an information center for Robeson’s national and worldwide activities. Established in 2003, the Resource Room serves as a repository for educational materials, historical records, and memorabilia of Robeson’s Somerville years and the worldwide accomplishments of people of African-American descent.

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