ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — On April 14, the Essex County Board of County Commissioners virtually held its 2021 Essex County Celebrates Youth program via Zoom. The ceremony aims to acknowledge and encourage outstanding young people throughout Essex County.
Commissioner President Wayne L. Richardson discussed the contributions of the county’s younger generation during the challenges of the past year and the need for everyone to move forward with their day-to-day lives while remaining vigilant in their actions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
This year, the board recognized three outstanding young students for their leadership and one youth organization: Elina Brahmandam, of Livingston; Jaylene Rivera, of Newark; Genesis Whitlock, of Montclair; and the Abbott Leadership Institute of Newark.
Elina, currently a fifth-grader at Harrison Elementary School in Livingston, was recognized for a variety of contributions, including working as an editor for “Girls Who STEAM,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, arts and math; training her peers and older high school–aged students on the basics of computer programming; as well as authoring a blog and publishing two books.
Jaylene, a fourth-grader at Roberto Clemente Elementary School in Newark, has been volunteering for the Latino Edification Multicultural Aid Center for the past year. Her duties include shelving items at the center’s food pantry; pre-packaging bags of food for distribution; and pre-packaging gloves and face masks for seniors, law enforcement personnel, people with respiratory problems and anyone in need of these supplies.
Whitlock is a senior at Montclair High School and serves in a multitude of extracurricular capacities, including president of the MHS Student Coalition, president of the Montclair NAACP Youth Council and student activist coordinator for Amnesty International; she is also the first student representative on Montclair’s Board of Education. Last summer, she organized a march of more than 6,000 community members to address racial inequities within the school system, and assisted in drafting the Montclair districtwide anti-racism policy.
The Abbott Leadership Institute is an organization, led by Kaleena Berryman, that has been making a positive difference in the lives of Newark youth since 2002. The institute has empowered parents, students and educators with information about education policy, methods for civic engagement and leadership in school reform. Accepting the commendation on their behalf was Mercy Wah, a senior at University High School and current peer mentor in the organization.
Minister Andrew Johnson from the St. Paul Baptist Church in Montclair delivered prayers during the occasion, and the audience was treated to the musical talents of three siblings: Mecadon, Zuri and Ava McCune.
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