On November 18th, the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce honored six young people with 2021 Young Citizens Awards in a virtual ceremony. The Sponsor of the Program is the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University with important support from Penn Community Bank and Dontech, Inc.
The awards keynote speakers were Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub and the Dean of the Close School of Entrepreneurship, Donna De Carolis.
Also making comments was Will Kadri, Vice President, Regional Retail Manager with Penn Community Bank.
The 2021 Young Citizens include:
Pranav Kalary was nominated by a Chamber member for his incredible heart and passion for service. A senior, he is an active leader in numerous service-related organizations. Academically, Pranav is a diligent student, committed to his education with a record of earning recognition on the Distinguished Honor Roll. The list of his volunteer contributions is endless and matched only by his kindness and humility.
Elizabeth Bondarenko attends Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in the Public Safety program and is a senior at William Tennent high school and attends Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, her nominator. In Public Safety, she has earned many National Certifications: Practical and Tactical Handcuffing, FEMA’s National Incident Management System 100, 200, 700, and 800 courses, AHA CPR/AED, and Emergency Medical Responder. Elizabeth works hard as a student mentor and class leader to other students in the Public Safety class. Elizabeth is a highly motivated multi-tasker, participating in many outside extracurricular activities.
Devyn Growney was nominated by a local group formed in January of 2021 called bucksEMBRACE. Devyn is one of the group’s original Student Ambassadors who has served for the past 10 months and continues to serve, as an insightful, dependable and responsible student leader. Devyn has played a vital role with helping to establish and shape bucksEMBRACE and its various activities throughout 2021. Her writing, speaking, leadership and organizational skills are helping to make a more inclusive community.
Aaron Grossman is an extraordinary young man who overcame learning differences in his youth to become not only a top-performing student but also a leader in his community. Aaron is a senior in high school and is an Executive Board Member for the Peers Actively Leading (PALs), a peer mentorship and mediation program designed to support student success, de-escalate conflict and address at-risk behavior. In this role, he mentors students and also serves to facilitate training for the 97 mentors in the program. Aaron holds a Computer Technician internship with SkyViewTek in Malvern, serves as a Student Producer for Conestoga’s TETV Production Club, educates his peers about active citizenship and encourages voter registration and is a leader in his school music and school and local community theater programs.
Ananya Siragavarapu has been a teen Patient Transport volunteer for the past two and a half years at Doylestown Hospital. She is a dedicated volunteer who takes her responsibilities as a Patient Transport volunteer very seriously. She began volunteering in May 2019 and has given an impressive 379 hours of volunteer service to the hospital. She is extremely hardworking, motivated, intelligent, and yet she is also well rounded, being able to balance her personal, scholastic, and work lives adroitly.
Dan Cosner is a hardworking student, an outstanding athlete, and a natural leader. More important than any of his accomplishments, however, is his genuine, kind, and compassionate nature. He is a young man who radiates positivity and kindness. According to his nominator at Solebury School, Dan never seems to have a bad day and goes out of his way to lift everyone around him up, faculty and students alike. Dan’s natural leadership abilities and his desire to improve the world around him were clear as early as ninth grade when it was evident how much his classmates looked up to him and relied on him.
Dan founded an inclusive jigsaw puzzle club where students who were having difficulty making social connections could come together. He has stood up for a friend who was being bullied and even spoke with the head of school on behalf of a group of students. Dan’s thoughtful reflection to better understand himself and his empathetic advocacy for others has made him one of the most respected people – student or faculty – at Solebury. As such, he was elected class president and selected to be a peer leader and Solemate (two ways to help new students in their transition to Solebury), a tour guide for admissions, and a member of our Judiciary Committee. Less formally, he can always be found helping out at various events around campus.