Guess who won the Princeton Prize? It’s “Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday” again and we’re excited to share a new story about what’s possible in our education system.
To be honest, this week’s story is about much more than education.
When people ask us about TeenSHARP it is easiest to tell them about how we prepare students to attend and thrive at the nation’s top colleges.
But this mission is in service of a larger vision: that our alums will provide the diverse, equity-minded, and community-centered leadership America needs.
We already see this happening. Our students aren’t waiting or asking for permission to lead.
We just learned that TeenSHARPie Elijah Jones —a high school junior at The Tatnall School—will be awarded The Princeton Prize in Race Relations for the Philadelphia region.
It’s a big deal. The prize recognizes and rewards high school students who have had a significant positive impact on race relations in their schools or communities.
Elijah will receive the award during a ceremony held at the end of April and will be invited to a symposium at Princeton University that brings together all of the regional winners.
Born and raised in Wilmington, Elijah’s parents have been preparing him to be a world changer.
He attended Thomas Edison Charter School from Kindergarten through 8th grade where he became a National Chess Champion in 2012.
When Elijah joined TeenSHARP in 2016, it was our goal to take his leadership—in the community and the classroom— to the next level.
During TeenSHARP College Access Ambassador sessions every Saturday, along with his peers, Elijah grapples with topics such as race, gender, politics, and social justice in the college-level courses we offer to students.
In 2017, TeenSHARP partnered with Ursuline Academy and TEDxWilmington on Delaware’s first TEDxYouth event and encouraged our students to deliver a talk.
A 9th-grader at the time, Elijah delivered a TEDx talk on the problems of segregated schools.
In 2018, we encouraged him to join DelawareCAN’s Youth Advocacy Council where he co-authored a report on teacher diversity with his peers in the program.
In 2019, when Elijah alerted us to racial issues he was experiencing at Tatnall, our team joined him for meetings at school to advocate for change.
When he decided to publish a piece about diversity and inclusion at his school, we supported his efforts.
Next year, we will continue to stand with Elijah as he transitions from high school into his dream college. And we know that he will not just be happy to be there.
As he pledged when he joined TeenSHARP in 9th grade. He will be a “Starter…poised to create, initiate, and lead in all settings.”
