The 9th Brookline Youth Awards will be held on April 10 at 7 pm, in the main playhouse of the Coolidge Corner Theater. The youth awards serve an opportunity for Brookline residents to hear about the character, challenges, and dreams of its young people, as well as local heroes in their community, through the power and intimacy of video interviews. Since its inception, the Brookline Youth Awards has recognized over 500 students and 23 adults. To date, approximately 135 videos have been produced for the event. This year, the youth awards will highlight recognize 81 students and five adults.
Thanks to the generosity of the Coolidge Corner Theater, the event is free to the public.
At the Brookline Youth Awards, young people talk honestly about the challenges in front of them. Some of those challenges include overcoming their socioeconomic status, any number of different forms of bigotry and intolerance, illness, and medical conditions. They share their fears with an openness that is endearing and sometimes heart-wrenching. These same students describe how they succeed in the face of their challenges, with resiliency and an appreciation of the resources available to them and a joy for life that can only be described as uplifting.
State Rep. Tommy Vitolo will deliver this year’s keynote address, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren has provided a one-minute video address to Brookline for the event. Hosts for the evening will be 2018 Brookline Youth of the Year Sabrina Zhou and former BATV director Karen Chase.
The rock band Tomtsu, which is made up of BHS students will open the festivities. Tomtsu has become a local sensation; Earlier this week the group hit over 200,000 plays on Spotify. A vocal performance by Vishni Samaraweera and slam poetry performances by Naomi Mirny and Yingzi (Cherry) Xiang will also highlight the evening.
The event also honors adults dedicated to the well-being of young people. The following adults will receive awards and have their video interviews presented on the big screen at the Coolidge:
- Rob Daves will receive the 2018 Roger Grande Social Justice Award
- Bo Winiker will receive the Ethel Weiss Service Award
- Elizabeth & Boniface Mande will receive the Suriel Guerrero Parent of the Year Award
The Youth Awards Nomination Committee will announce this year’s six Youth of the Year Finalists. These students were chosen out of the 81 students being honored at the event.
At the end of the evening, the 2019 Brookline Youth of the Year will be announced.
2019 Youth Award recipients in alphabetical order by first name:
- Allison Switalski
- Ardani Mello-Daigneault
- Ben Haber
- Harris Sheikh
- Jackie Perelman
- Jocelyn Zhou
- Joshua Gladstone
- Isaiah Goldsmith
- Nahomi Brea Rivera
- Richard Desir
- Sara Snyder
- Satchel Tsai
- Saya Ameli Hajebi
- Vishni Samaraweera
2019 Recognition Award recipients in alphabetical order by first name:
- Alana Roach
- Alexandra Locke
- Allee Italiano
- Angel Zayas
- Anjoli Mathew
- Anne Meyer
- Ashley Eng
- Autumn Joy Haynes Johnson
- Ben Gordon
- Benjamin John Tyszka
- Brett Tobasky
- Caleb Barer
- Celia Wu-Hacohen
- Chuka Stergios
- Dana Ebralidze
- Daniella Kaplan
- Elise Gordon
- Ellora Daley
- Emi Tsukada
- Emma Kahn
- Emily Zhu
- Erika Sanchez
- Frank Xu
- Gigi Walsh
- Grace Sokolow
- Graham Krewinghaus
- Haley Bayne
- Harris Bubalo
- Henry Brill
- Iris Yang
- Isa Pennick
- Isabelle Lguchi
- Jack Lin
- Jackson Payne
- Jasmine Benitich
- Jayden Whittaker
- Jordan Watts
- Juan Rivera
- Kate Staff
- Kevin Li
- Max Grossman
- Megan Kiel
- Milena Kitterman
- Naomi Mirny
- Oliver Bentley
- Patrick Vespa
- Prasanna Bhad
- Rebecca Perez
- Rossella Gargiulo
- Sabrina Pierre
- Samson Morgan
- Sara Song
- Sarah Leipman
- Sari Gubar
- Serena Rae Rumpler
- Sheldon Tucker
- Sophia Stewart
- Sophie Bodine
- Sophie Nigrovic
- Svea Diane Delevett
- Timur Kazachkov
- Yuen Ting Chow
- Yingzi (Cherry) Xiang
- Yuli Burstein
- Yuna Sato
- Zach Fischer
Brookline Youth Award sponsors in alphabetical order:
- ADW Video Productions
- Airo Sports
- Anita Jamieson (Irving’s Toy & Card Shop)
- Brookline Bank
- Brookline Booksmith
- Brookline Community Foundation
- Brookline Courtyard Marriott
- BrooklineHub.com
- Brookline Interactive Group
- Brookline Rotary
- Brookline Teen Center
- Chobee Hoy Group Compass
- Coolidge Corner Merchants Association
- Coolidge Corner Theatre
- Eastern Bank
- Elias Mobil
- Eureka! Puzzles
- Foundation to be Named Later
- Gen Sou En Teahouse
- Grassona’s Italian
- Hamilton Restaurant and Bar
- Law Office of Susan K. Howards
- Little Children Schoolhouse
- Metro Realty Corp
- Prairie Fire
- Rifrullo Cafe
- Robert L. Allen Jr. Law Offices
- RTN Federal Credit Union
- The Blakely Group
- The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation
- Town of Brookline
- Unlimited Sotheby’s International Realty
- Zaftigs Delicatessen
2018 Youth Awards nomination committee:
- R. Harvey Bravman
- Dana Brigham
- Malcolm Cawthorne
- Caroline Cutlip
- Paul Epstein
- Abe Faber
- Lloyd Gellineau
- Jennifer Gilbert
- Heather Hamilton
- Lesly Suriel Guerrero
- Ken Goldstein
- Michael Gropman
- Caitlin Haynes
- Ben Hoff
- Chobee Hoy
- Gavin Hui
- Anita Jamieson
- Catherine Stevens
- Jeff Katz
- Cheryl Lefman
- Sarah Kaplan
- James Lenoch
- Kathryn Leslie
- Marjie Lalli
- Anita Mayfield-Sheehan
- Catherine Marris
- Anthony Meyer
- Pat Norling
- Stephanie Orsini
- Alicia Landsberg
- Wamwega Shaw
- Lynnit Sotomayor
- Sabrina Zhou
- Lisa Gozashti
- Jennifer Gilbert
- Rob Daves
- Bobbie Knable
