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New Youth Philanthropy Boards Selected in Each County

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High school students will award $35,000 in grants to nonprofits 

Fifty-three high school seniors, juniors and sophomores will experience the triumphs and challenges of being philanthropists this year through the Delaware Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Boards (YPBs).  

The YPBs include students from public, private and parochial schools. The DCF gives the New Castle County student board $15,000 and the Kent and Sussex County student boards $10,000 each to award to local charities. The students work together to choose a focus area, solicit and review grant applications, conduct site visits and decide how to distribute the money to have the greatest impact. 

Grant applications will be available at delcf.org/grants in early December and will be due in January. 

“The Youth Philanthropy Board program does more than give kids the chance to make a difference,” DCF President & CEO Stuart Comstock-Gay said. “It gets them out into the community to experience firsthand the impact their work has on people’s lives.” 

This year’s participants are:  

Kent County  

Michael Blose, senior, Dover High School 
Nick Crawford, senior, Smyrna High School 
Josh Donophan, senior, Lake Forest High School 
Brenna Geidel, senior, Caesar Rodney High School 
Samra Iqbal, senior, Caesar Rodney High School 
Puiyee Kong, senior, Casear Rodney High School 
Justin Lunn, junior, Lake Forest High School 
Jordyn McFadden, senior, Smyrna High School 
Melissa Mesidor, senior, Milford High School 
Mekayla Petion, junior, Calvary Christian Academy 
Matthew Sacks, senior, Milford High School 
Chloe Spinoza, junior, Dover High School 
Aleah Truitt, junior, Polytech High School 

New Castle County 

Nana Aboagye, sophomore, Mt. Pleasant High School 
Michaela Acheampong, sophomore, Howard High School 
Gabriella Adams, junior, Ursuline Academy 
Lauren Bolarinwa, sophomore, Tower Hill School 
Camryn Brost, junior, Cab Calloway School of the Arts 
Chazz Chamblee, sophomore, homeschool 
Ava Courtney, senior, Archmere Academy 
Joshua Green, senior, Tatnall School 
Samantha Harrington, junior, St. George’s Technical School 
Jamie Marshall, senior, Appoquinimink High School 
Temitayo Oshatola, senior, Middletown High School 
Izzy Paris, senior, St. Andrew’s School 
Naiya Patel, junior, Charter School of Wilmington 
Evan Quigley, senior, Salesianum School 
Deepak Rana, senior, Freire Charter School of Wilmington 
Arnav Sehgal, junior, St. Andrew’s School 
Abigail Stone, senior, Delaware Valley Classical School 
Avery Zwickert, senior, St. Mark’s High School 

Sussex County  

Martina Ambrosino, senior, Seaford High School 
Mirta Angel-Gabriel, senior, Laurel High School 
Abby Betts, senior, Cape Henlopen High School 
Vicky Chan, senior, Indian River High School 
Daykhi Conquest-Carey, senior, Sussex Central High School 
Claire Eden, junior, Delmarva Christian High School 
Michael Fagundes-Rocha, senior, Sussex Central High School 
Christian Hodges, senior, Delmarva Christian High School 
Taylor Jenkins, senior, Seaford High School 
Chelsea Littleton, junior, Laurel High School 
Hussain Mahdi, senior, Cape Henlopen High School 
McKenna Miller, senior, Indian River High School 
Rachel Pogwist, senior, Sussex Technical High School 
Ana Rial, junior, Sussex Academy 
Miyah Sow, junior, Sussex Technical High School 
Rudra Soni, senior, Delmar High School 
Ashlyn Toppin, senior, Laurel High School 
Doralynn Ventura-Lopez, senior, Sussex Academy 
Johnson Ventura-Lopez, junior, Sussex Academy 
Weston Williams, senior, Greenwood Mennonite School 
Danielle Young, junior, Sussex Technical High School 
Kathy Zhang, senior, Worcester Preparatory School