Pallone Recognizes Outstanding High School Students at Spring Awards Ceremony
Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today announced the recipients of the Congressional Award, this year’s U.S. Service Academy nominees, and the winners of the 2024 Sixth Congressional District High School Arts Competition at an awards ceremony.
Pallone also announced the winners of the Congressional App Challenge and the winners of the ninth-annual Poetry Showcase. Students representing several local high schools were honored at a reception at Middlesex College.
Pallone honored the 2024 recipients of the Congressional Award. Created by his predecessor, the late U.S. Rep. Jim Howard, the Congressional Award recognizes the initiative, achievement, and volunteer services of young people. The recipients include:
Bronze Congressional Award Recipients:
- Hunter Barrett, Rumson
- Aditya Herekar, Edison
- MaryHelen McCooey, Rumson
Silver Congressional Award Recipients:
- Anagh Kanagala, Edison
Gold Congressional Award Recipients:
- Ryan Gilmartin, Monmouth Beach
- Sonal Lakhani, Edison
“The Congressional Award is given to individuals whose accomplishments and dedication to their communities exemplifies the best qualities of the future,” Pallone said. “I’m proud to award this honor to this year’s recipients, and I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”
The New Jersey Congressman also honored the candidates he nominated to the U.S. Service Academies. The nominees include:
U.S. Air Force Academy
- Isuhi Acosta-Ramirez, Long Branch High School
- Alexander Baret, Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School
- Jasper Malles, Marine Academy of Science and Technology
- Keith McPherson, Metuchen High School
- Justin Moscaritolo, St. Thomas Aquinas High School
- Satyam Shah, John P. Stevens High School
- Sharon Wei, Rutgers University
U.S. Naval Academy
- Alexander Baret, Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School
- Madeleine Carpenter, Red Bank Catholic High School
- Justin Moscaritolo, St. Thomas Aquinas High School
- Gianna Varady, St. Thomas Aquinas High School
- Sharon Wei, Rutgers University
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
- Maxwell Bortman, St. Peters Preparatory School
- Abraham Daniel, Long Branch High School
- Sharon Wei, Rutgers University
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- Nathanial Attardi, Wall High School
- Alexander Baret, Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School
- Malachy Connors, Shore Regional High School
- Jasper Malles, Marine Academy of Science and Technology
- Justin Moscaritolo, St. Thomas Aquinas High School
- Evan Rollins, Manalapan High School
“The value of military service to our nation cannot be overstated, and I am proud of the commitment that these nominees have shown to serving their country,” said Pallone. “These nominees showed outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements, leadership, and motivation in serving our country. Our nation’s service academies are some of the highest caliber institutions that are committed to graduating leaders of character, honor, and integrity. New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District is home to so many bright and qualified students. I wish all of the nominees the very best of luck in the future and thank them for their willingness to serve.”
Young artists from various schools in Middlesex and Monmouth counties participated in this year’s art competition. Local judges chose first, second and third place winners. They also awarded 15 honorable mentions. The first-place winner, Gabriella Freeman, will have her artwork displayed for the next year in the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Art Competition Winners:
First Place: Gabriella Freeman, Piscataway High School
Second Place: Emily Hsu, John P. Stevens High School
Third Place: Yoskar De Leon, Perth Amboy High School
Honorable Mentions:
- Skye Bristow-Cabrera, East Brunswick Magnet School
- Amaya Clary, Piscataway High School
- Manoela De Sousa Rego, East Brunswick Magnet School
- Alexander Iler, Red Bank Regional High School
- Gianna Mastroianni, Red Bank Regional High School
- Johan Munoz, East Brunswick Magnet School
- Ashley Pan, John P. Stevens High School
- Emily Park, Edison High School
- Suhana Patodi, John P. Stevens High School
- Sofia Rojas, Piscataway High School
- Kavya Shah, John P. Stevens High School
- Omaida Destiny Smith, Perth Amboy High School
- Soledad Spinelli, Red Bank Regional High School
- Divya Thota, John P. Stevens High School
- Alexander Zayas, Perth Amboy High School
“I have long believed that Congress should play a major role in encouraging interest in the arts,” Pallone said. “This competition provides a forum to help the aspiring young artists of our area gain recognition and exposure. Young artists can gain confidence in themselves and their abilities by displaying their work and having it evaluated by knowledgeable judges.”
Pallone also announced the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge. The competition encourages students to explore STEM education and highlights the value of computer science.
First Place: Gauri Kshettry and Twisha Patel, both from Edison High School, with the app TheraPose, which is an innovative app that leverages AI-powered pose estimation technology, a computer vision technique that involves detecting and tracking the positions and orientations of human body parts in videos, to provide personalized guidance and feedback to patients undergoing physical therapy.
Second Place: Akshat Santhana Gopalan of John P. Stevens High School with the app BeyondWords, which is an Artificial Intelligence Reading Companion for individuals experiencing dyslexia.
Third Place: Rahil Patel, Nova Travis, Lalith Gundla, and Archith Raman, all from Edison Academy Magnet School, with the app SafeSphere, which is an all in one, event planning and organizing platform. The app gives event creators the ability to create Spheres, an organized unit which can contain events, schedules, alerts, and information.
“The Congressional App Challenge is an important platform for students to showcase their skills in programming and computer science while supporting the next generation’s interest in STEM subjects. I will continue to support investments in STEM education so that our country remains at the forefront of innovation and research. I congratulate this year’s winners and encourage everyone who has an idea to submit it for the competition next year,” said Pallone.
Finally, Pallone announced the winners of the ninth-annual Poetry Showcase. The Poetry Showcase coincides with National Poetry Month, which is celebrated during the month of April. The showcase allows students of all ages to express themselves in writing under one of three thematic categories: civic engagement, the environment, and social justice.
“The Poetry Showcase is a wonderful opportunity for students of all ages to express themselves in writing while exploring themes that I believe resonate with their community,” Pallone concluded. “This year, we received over 400 submissions, which is a testament to our students’ dedication to literature and language. I want to thank everyone who participated and commend them for their commitment to this literary art.”
Category: Civic Engagement
- Kyle Soper, South Amboy Elementary School (Grades K-5)
- Lakshya Venkatesan, Carl Sandburg Middle School (Old Bridge) (Grades 6-8)
- Abdullah Muzammil, South Plainfield High School (Grades 9-12)
Category: Environment
- Iker Avina Hernandez, Gregory Elementary School (Long Branch) (Grades K-5)
- Sophia Wu, Herbert Hoover Middle School (Edison) (Grades 6-8)
- Jessica Carrasco-Encarnacion, Long Branch High School (Grades 9-12)
Category: Social Justice
- Meraj Mannan, South Amboy Elementary School (Grades K-5)
- Berit Amoateng, Woodrow Wilson Middle School (Edison) (Grades 6-8)
- Ethan Poon, Edison Academy Magnet School (Grades 9-12)