Pallone Recognizes Outstanding High School Students at Spring Awards Ceremony

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. | Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. Official U.S. House headshot

By Monmouth Times Report

May 24, 2023

Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) on May 13, announced the recipients of the Congressional Award, this year’s U.S. Service Academy nominees, and the winners of the 2023 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 eighth-annual Poetry Showcase. Students representing several local high schools were honored at a reception at Middlesex College.

Pallone honored the 2023 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:

Ryan Gilmartin, Monmouth Beach
Mathias Lazewski, Little Silver
Graeme Martin, Rumson
Sanskriti Nayak, Edison
Rahulraj Rajesh, Edison
Prahalad Rana, Edison
XingYuan Shao, Piscataway
Isha Trivedi, Edison

Silver Congressional Award Recipients:

Sara Asdhir, Edison
Ryan Gilmartin, Monmouth Beach
Sonal Lakhani, Edison
Mathias Lazewski, Little Silver
Sanskriti Nayak, Edison
Rahulraj Rajesh, Edison
Prahalad Rana, Edison
Isha Trivedi, Edison

Gold Congressional Award Recipients:

Rayan Ahmed, Edison
Jonathaun Lauria, Rumson
Kavya Venkatesan, Old Bridge

“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

Rohan Arestani, Edison High School
Tabitha Bonet, J.P. Stevens High School
Arthur Fumarola, Matawan Regional High School
Lillie Momperousse, Carteret High School
Sai Myneni, J.P. Stevens High School
Adrian Romej,East Meadows High School/Colonia High School

U.S. Naval Academy

Charles Algier, Saint Joseph High School
Rohan Arestani, Edison High School
Charlotte Breen, Metuchen High School
Colin Crawford, Matawan Regional High School
William Gardell, Matawan Regional High School
Patrick Kelly, Colonia High School
Tyler Morrison, Old Bridge High School
Aidan Pierce, Virginia Tech
Adrian Romej, East Meadows High School/Colonia High School
Sharon Wei, J.P. Stevens High School

U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Rohan Arestani, Edison High School
Tabitha Bonet, J.P. Stevens High School
Aidan Pierce, Virginia Tech
Sabrina Rebolledo, St. John Vianney High School
Mary Schleck, Mount St. Mary Academy
Justin Tam, J.P. Stevens High School
Sharon Wei, J.P. Stevens High School

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Giuliana Schiano, Old Bridge High School

“The value of military service to our nation cannot be overstated, and I am proud of the commitment that these nominees to America’s service academies have shown to serving their country,” said Pallone. “New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District is home to so many bright and qualified students. These nominees showed outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements, leadership, and motivation in serving our country. I take these nominations very seriously because our nation’s service academies are some of the highest caliber institutions and are committed to graduating leaders of character, honor, and integrity. 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, Emily Hsu, 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: Emily Hsu, J.P. Stevens High School

Second Place: Sanika Godbole, J.P. Stevens High School

Third Place: Kelly Membreno, J.P. Stevens High School

Honorable Mentions:

Emily Chao, J.P. Stevens High School
Swastika Dahinwal, J.P. Stevens High School
Manoela De Sousa Rego, Piscataway High School
Dev Doshi, J.P. Stevens High School
Kaelynn Johnson, Piscataway High School
Vivian Lee, J.P. Stevens High School
Tanish Mittal, J.P. Stevens High School
Esha Patel, J.P. Stevens High School
Priya Radha Sadowski, East Brunswick Magnet School
Kristen Seepaul, Piscataway High School
Prisha Shah, East Brunswick Magnet School
Jolie Sheen, Highland Park High School
Elijah Spence, Matawan Regional High School
Lorelei Stephens, Piscataway High School
Jayna Valdez, Perth Amboy High School

“I have long believed that Congress should play a major role in encouraging 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 2023 Congressional App Challenge. The competition encourages students to explore STEM education and highlights the value of computer science.

First place: Siddharth Paul, Ashvin Trehan, and Jared Wyetzner all of Metuchen High School with the app Myndful, an artificial intelligence mental health resource navigator that helps adolescents access and understand mental health resources.

Second place: Pranav Sitaraman of Edison Academy Magnet School with the app Spruce It Up! that helps communities report areas that need cleaning and then connects them with volunteers who can sign up to come and help.

Third place: Ishaan Gupte of J.P. Stevens High School with the app NRgize that helps electric vehicle owners locate charging stations during their trip. The app can be paired with traditional voice service devices such as Alexa.

“The Congressional App Challenge is an important platform for students to showcase their skills in programming and computer science and support 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 eight-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 condemn them for their commitment to this literary art.”

Category: Civic Engagement

Lydia Valentina Jones, Nathan Hale School (Grades K-5)

Candor Plum, South Plainfield Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Kai Sarcomo, Red Bank Regional High School (Grades 9-12)

Category: Environment

Riya Abilash, MLK Intermediate School (Grades K-5)

Lily Genthe, Saint James School (Grades 6-8)

Rowan Martin, Red Bank Regional High School (Grades 9-12)

Category: Social Justice

Josie Williams, MLK Intermediate School (Grades K-5)

Veronica Diaz, Woodbridge Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Brenda Almeida Da Silva, Long Branch High School (Grades 9-12)