2022 Alumni Achievement Awards
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Alumni Award Recipients
Adzua Agyapon ’07 - Career Accomplishment
Adzua was named director of policy and advocacy for the KIPP Foundation in June 2021. Prior to that, in May 2021, she had been promoted to senior policy advisor at the United States Senate. She previously worked on education, labor, and child nutrition policy for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. She has also been a legislative fellow for the U.S. Senate and a policy fellow at The Urban Leaders Fellowship.
Alphonso Nathan '05 - Community Service
Alphonso is vice president and lead home-based clinician at Brightside Counseling Services, LLC. He is a therapist and author who speaks on Black trauma and healing. He created the “Healing the Culture” docuseries featuring “Phonz the Therapist” on Facebook to promote mental health and wellbeing and is working on a campaign with Taraji P. Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, focusing on mental health and Black youth.
Jessica Bell ’14 - Academic Excellence
Jessica graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and biology from Dickinson College in 2018. She recently started a new job as a research specialist at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in Hyejung Won’s lab studying the genetics of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Following graduation from Dickinson College, she worked as a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Senior Award Recipients
Vanessa Frimpong - Career Accomplishment
Vanessa, who is from Whitehall, Pennsylvania, enrolled at MHS as a sixth-grader and has excelled in academic and career preparation. She has been involved in student leadership and community service and earned several honors. Vanessa is president of the Class of 2022 and has been an active with the Student Government Association and the Hershey Project Planning Committee.
Symyra Byrd - Community Service
Symyra, who is from Howard, Pennsylvania, enrolled at MHS as a fourth-grader after having been in the foster care system. She has been an actively engaged member of the MHS community throughout the years, while also maintaining high academic standards. Currently the president of the Student Government Association, Symyra has held leadership roles in the SGA and the M.O.L.D. mentoring program.
Arlene Samayoa-Rodas - Academic Excellence
Arlene, who is from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, enrolled at MHS in 2009 as a kindergartener. Throughout high school, she has flourished in not just academics, but also in athletics and community service. Through her academic achievement, she earned induction in the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. In addition, she was awarded a Gold Key in the Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art and Writing competition and was honored as a Rotary Student of the Month.