(above) Francesca Holl of Warren, NJ receives the Silver Medal from U.S. Representatives Payne, Jr. and Malinowski and Celgene’s Patrick Gliha and Rich Bagger.
Warren Students Receive Congressional Award Medals
Submitted by Sonia Estevez
Francesca Holl, a Senior at Mount Saint Mary Academy, was awarded the Silver Congressional Award Medal while Celine Chu, a Senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School, was awarded the Bronze Congressional Award Medal. U.S. Representatives Tom Malinowski (NJ-07) and Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) presented the awards on behalf of Congress at a statewide Congressional Award ceremony held on Saturday, September 21, 2019.
For her Silver Medal, Francesca performed 200 hours of service, 100 hours of personal development, and 100 hours of personal fitness. For her Bronze Medal, Celine performed 100 hours of service, 50 hours of personal development and 50 hours of personal fitness. They both had to organize and lead several overnight and day trips to meet the Exploration/Expedition requirement.
“I am very honored to receive this award. I love to volunteer because I get to help others and it is very rewarding,” said Francesca. “One of my favorite volunteering activities is to bake for and serve the homeless with a group of volunteers from Our Lady of the Mount Church. For the personal fitness requirement, I set goals outside my comfort zone, such as to learn kickboxing. For the professional development requirement, one of my goals was to become a gymnastic instructor.”
“This award means a lot to me knowing that I earned this with hard work and dedication,” said Celine. “Working on my goals has been a journey that has helped me grow into a more independent and self-driven young woman while being able to give back to my community.”
The Congressional Award is the United States Congress’ only charity and the highest honor bestowed upon a youth civilian through the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Established by Congress as a public-private partnership in 1979, the program recognizes initiative, service, and achievement in young Americans ages 13 ½ – 23.
(above) Celine Chu of Warren, NJ receives the Silver Medal from U.S. Representatives Payne, Jr. and Malinowski and Celgene’s Patrick Gliha and Rich Bagger.
