Newsroom

Middle and high school students from Somerset and Hunterdon counties were honored for their achievements at the 35th Annual Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards, held April 20 at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. The event, attended by 270 people, was sponsored by the College’s Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice.

Approximately 75 students were nominated for awards by their school counselors, teachers, and administrators. A special committee of RVCC faculty and staff members selected the 20 award recipients.

The evening featured a keynote address by Ka’Sheer Cassett, a graduate of RVCC and Howard University. While a student at RVCC, Cassett first spread his wings as a mentee and student ambassador in the Sanofi Mentorship Program, earning induction into the honor society and discovering a passion for leadership and service. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from the prestigious Howard University, an HBCU that helped refine his excellence and amplify his voice.

For the past five years, Cassett has been making a real-world impact at Sanofi, where he serves as a Clinical Operations Study Country Lead (COSCL). In his role, he leads clinical trial studies, playing a direct role in advancing treatments that improve and save lives. Cassett says he believes in the power of stepping outside your comfort zone, giving back to your community, and turning dreams into impact.  

The National Council of Negro Women and RVCC initiated the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Awards program to pay tribute to the outstanding attainments of students in Somerset and Hunterdon counties. The awards are named in honor of Paul Robeson, a Princeton native who grew up in Somerville and graduated from Somerville High School and Rutgers University. The awards are given in four areas in which Robeson excelled: Scholarship, the Arts, Community Service and Athletics, as well as special “Renaissance Awards” given to students who excel in a number of disciplines.

The Evelyn S. Field Visionary Award also was presented at the ceremony. The award pays tribute to the founding member of the RVCC Board of Trustees, who was a dynamic and compassionate advocate for promoting diversity and equality on campus. In 1990 Evelyn Field established the Paul Robeson Youth Achievement Program to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy as a role model for excellence.

The following middle school students received special honors:

Scholarship

Zoe-Renee Elliott – Franklin Middle School at Hamilton Street Campus 
Daniel Francis – Hillsborough Middle School

Athletics

Makhi Treadwell – Hillsborough Middle School 
Remee Jackson – J.P. Case Middle School

Community Service

Kwame Howell –  J.P. Case Middle School 
Vanessa Anim-Wiafe –  Franklin Middle School at Hamilton Street Campus

Arts

Hayleigh Docsol – Franklin Middle School at Sampson G. Smith Campus 
Micayla Moore – North Plainfield Middle School

The following high school students received special honors:

Scholarship

Bellarose Doman – Somerville High School 
Juneabea Horsnall – South Hunterdon Regional High School

Athletics

Jurell Jones –  Immaculata High School 
Pamela Lamptey – Somerville High School

Community Service

Skylar Haynes – Hillsborough High School 
Kiara Jones – Immaculata High School

Arts

McKayla Price – Franklin High School 
Sierra Martin – Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Evelyn S. Field Award

Embree Campi – Readington Middle School 
Vanessa Exil – Somerville High School

Renaissance Award

Shayden Jestine –  J.P. Case Middle School 
Ryann Jefferson –  Immaculata High School

The Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice was founded in 1999 to preserve Paul Robeson’s legacy in the area where he came of age as an artist, athlete, orator, and scholar. The Institute envisions a global community of diverse cultures that embodies, through attitudes and behaviors, Paul Robeson’s ideals, beliefs, values and vision for a world of justice and peace.  

The Paul Robeson Resource Room, located in RVCC’s Evelyn S. Field Library, is an information center for Robeson’s national and worldwide activities. Established in 2003, the Resource Room serves as a repository for educational materials, historical records, and memorabilia of Robeson’s Somerville years and the worldwide accomplishments of people of African-American descent.  
 
RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 5, 2026

Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383

PR #107