New Mexico's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program

SANTA FE, N.M., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Trennery Turner, 18, of Bloomfield and Lily Chacon, 12, of Albuquerque today were named New Mexico's top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Trennery and Lily each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in late April to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23^rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

 These are New Mexico's top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Trennery Turner
Nominated by Piedra Vista High School in Farmington

Trennery, a senior at Piedra Vista High School, has served over the past seven years as a mentor to children in need, a classroom assistant for kids with disabilities, a teacher of healthy lifestyles, and a volunteer at a local hospital. "The two distinct 'cultures' in our community are the proverbial 'haves' and 'have-nots' because poverty is an overwhelming burden in our area," she said. "I know that fusing this gap is a daunting task, but I want to aid in the struggle against the growing chasm between human decency and human dignity." Inspired by her parents, both high school teachers whose "entire life mission is to empower young people," Trennery naturally began her volunteer career by focusing on children facing disadvantages.

When she was in the fifth grade, she began helping younger children from low-income families learn rodeo skills, such as horsemanship. In middle school, she volunteered as an assistant in the classroom for children with disabilities and helped them with social, academic and recreational skills. Two years ago, Trennery started volunteering as a "big sister" with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico. In addition, Trennery helps organize and facilitate programs for younger students that promote drug and alcohol-free lifestyles, and assists staff and patients at the San Juan Regional Medical Center. Recently, she discovered a man overdosing on drugs outside the hospital. "People were walking around him as if he didn't exist," Trennery said. She called for help and, thankfully, her quick response saved the man's life, for which she was recognized by the hospital's board of directors.        

Middle Level State Honoree: Lily Chacon
Nominated by Holy Ghost Catholic School in Albuquerque

Lily, a seventh-grader at Holy Ghost Catholic School, volunteers with other students at her school to help keep Albuquerque beautiful by working on cleanup and restoration projects in the Rio Grande Bosque, a deciduous forest that winds 16 miles through her city. "Service has always motivated me, inspired me, and helped me come up with ideas for projects," said Lily. She says she knows what an asset the bosque is to Albuquerque, as a natural recreation area for both residents and tourists. So she always looks forward to going several times a year with her school to work on projects there, even though the physical labor is sometimes arduous.

Working with classmates, Lily helps park rangers and city workers plant trees, clear trail, and pick up trash in the bosque. She says she has learned the value of following directions and working together with others to accomplish meaningful tasks. "Having friends to work with made the job seem a lot easier," said Lily. In the past two years, Lily has helped plant more than 50 trees in the bosque, and still recalls the thrill she got when she planted her first one. "I felt as if I were going to reach the top of a mountain," she said.     

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized two other New Mexico students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are New Mexico's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Gabriela Baca, 17, of San Juan Pueblo, N.M., a member of Rio Arriba 4-H and a senior at Los Alamos High School, has volunteered more than 600 hours over the past two summers with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, working on ancient wall restoration and trail maintenance projects at Bandelier National Monument. Gabriela woke up at 6:30 a.m. and hiked many miles during her summers with the program, providing services aimed at making the trails more convenient and scenic for visitors.

Nam Nguyen, 18, of Albuquerque, N.M., a senior at St. Pius X High School, played a key role on a team that created an e-book, lesson plans, and activities that teach English and math to orphaned children in Nigeria, as well as raising money for teacher training. Inspired to help the children by his difficult early years after immigrating to the U.S., Nam spent several months researching and working to create the resources -- efforts that have enhanced the education of 18 young children.

"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can do the same."

"These middle level and high school students have not only improved the lives of the people and communities they've served – they also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never too young to make a difference."

About The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth. 

While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees – one middle level and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia – will tour the capital's landmarks, meet top youth volunteers from other parts of the world, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. On April 30, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018. These National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.  

Since the program began in 1995, more than 120,000 young volunteers have been honored at the local, state and national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China, Brazil and Poland. In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program also distributes President's Volunteer Service Awards to qualifying Local Honorees.

For information on all of this year's Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.

For Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallion graphics, please visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.