BOSTON BRANCH WINNERS
Leah A. Baptista Pires
Leah A. Baptista Pires
Silver Medalist in Ballet
As a junior at Boston Arts Academy, Leah A. Baptista Pires has danced since childhood. She is a dance major and honor student who practices at the Jo-Mé Dance Studio in Boston. Pires has attended The Alvin Ailey School – Summer Intensive and Black & Brown program at Berklee College.
Nasya Baine
Nasya Baine
Bronze Medalist in Traditional Dance
Born in Macon, Georgia, Nasya Baine is a multidisciplinary dancer. She is a freshman and honors student at Boston Arts Academy, where she is on the step squad. After visiting Boston for summer dance at OrigiNation, she relocated here with family to join the program’s Professional Dance Division. At OrigiNation, she studies under Shaumba-Yandje Dibinga and performs with the Nia Dance Troupe.
Sadie Carrol
Sadie Carroll
Bronze Medalist in Music Composition
A cellist of 12 years, Sadie Carroll is a graduate of The Rivers School in Weston and part of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she has studied intensively. Beyond her considerable musical talents, she is interested in bioethics and plays lacrosse. She is attending the University of Miami to study instrumental performance next semester.
Mal Eason
Mal Eason
Bronze Medalist in Photography
Mal Eason is a Dorchester resident who creates photography, painting, drawings, fashion design and music. An honors student at the Education Center for the Arts in New Haven, Eason recently moved to Boston for senior year. His photography submission is a presentation on grief and isolation. He traces his roots to the Deep South and Pearl of the Antilles, Ayiti or Haiti.
BROCKTON BRANCH WINNERS
Nevaeh De Jesus
Nevaeh De Jesus
Gold medalist in Poetry
As a senior at Lowell High School, Nevaeh maintains a 4.0 GPA. Her work, “The Ghost of White Privilege,” identifies the amorphous concept with recognizable experiences, such as permission to wear a hoodie after dark. In addition to numerous extra-curricular activities, she works at a local store. In her spare time, she volunteers and dabbles in hip-hop dance and photography. She will study psychology at Morgan State University next Fall.
Kyle Denny
Kyle Denny
Silver medalist in Chemistry / Biochemistry
Kyle Denny is a junior at Milton High School whose winning project evaluated the effect of sound on pollinator insect populations. He is co-captain of his varsity tennis team and practices the game at Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center in Dorchester. Denny is vice president of his high school class, a member of a local National Society of Black Engineers Jr. and considers himself an avid video gamer.
Yvangi Jacques
Yvangi Jacques
Silver medalist in Earth and Space Sciences
Yvangi Jacques is a junior at Avon Middle High School who has competed in the ACT-SO STEM competitions for the last three years. He is a member of the National Honor Society who advocates against tobacco and vaping through The 84 movement. Jacques’ other talents include classical piano, which he performs weekly at church. In addition to competing in an ACT-SO science field, he was part of the Classical Instrumental competition.
Brooklynn Massó
Brooklynn Massó
Silver medalist in Contemporary Dance
Brooklynn Massó is a sophomore at Boston Latin Academy who participates in the school’s theatre group, Academy Actors. They have been dancing for 11 years, specializing in tap, jazz, hip-hop, and lyric through programs like Edge Studio of Dance in Canton, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles and The Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York. In Brooklynn’s spare time they like to create art, play video games and listen to music.
