More than 50 students recognized at 2024 SUNY Orange Sojourner Truth Awards


For the past thirty-four years, in honor of Sojourner Truth, Orange County Community College has celebrated its youth by awarding them for their achievements. SUNY Orange continues to recognize the accomplishments of these deserving students in grades 6-12 and encourage college attendance as an option for students from groups traditionally under-represented in the college population.

Those students nominated by their schools received a medal and a Certificate of Recognition from SUNY Orange on Friday, March 8, 2024.

The event’s keynote speaker was Honorable Theresa R. Cayton, a City Court Judge in the City of Middletown who began her educational journey in Criminal Justice with an A.S. from SUNY Orange.

Students were selected for excellence in one of 10 key areas:

  • Athletics – Possessing natural and trained aptitude for excellence in competitive sports, while exhibiting sportsmanship, team spirit, and grace in victory and defeat and/or demonstrate achievements in physical education classes and extra-curricular activities.
  • Citizenship – Exhibiting continuous courtesy, thoughtfulness, and service to others, obvious both in and out of the school environment.
  • Creative Arts – Talent and obvious achievement in drama, speech, dance, theater production, music, printing, sculpture, design, graphics, visual arts and extra-curricula programs.
  • Diversity – Demonstrates acceptance and respect of individual differences and cultural traditions.
  • English Language Arts (ELA) – Skilled in reading, writing, reading comprehension, poetry, creative writing, school newspaper, exceptional written and spoken vocabulary.
  • Foreign Languages – Achievements in a language other than English for communication that exhibits cross-cultural skills and understanding.
  • Mathematics – High achievement in logical thinking, mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry processes and concepts, arrangements, sets, relationships and properties.
  • Perseverance/Effort – Demonstrating achievement by overcoming obstacles. Showing a willingness to extend high levels of effort and resolve in the face of adversity.
  • Sciences – Exceptional ability in the observation, identification, description, and investigation of natural phenomena. Success in methodical experimentation, recording and explanation.
  • Technology – Achievements in computer and technology classes and extra-curricular programs.

Goshen Central School District winners

Arif Ahmed – Goshen High School – Sciences

Janay Bailey – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Fatoumata Balde – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Fatima Barry – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Jaden Bisono – Goshen High School – Athletics

Tristan Brown – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort

Jefferson Calle Carchi Castillo – Goshen High School – Citizenship

Matthew Valencia – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Isabella Chavez Cruz – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Jandiel Hernandez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – CItizenship

Nathan Cubillo – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Creative Arts

Elijah Decembre – Goshen High School – Technology

Madison Escobar – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Daniel Espinoza-Perez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages

Gabryel Fernandez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Jamila Fierros – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort

Ayooluwapo Folami – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Luther Fortugno – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages

Kiran Foster – Goshen High School – English Language Arts (ELA)

Saul Garcia – Goshen High School – Athletics

Yamen Ghaly – Goshen High School – Sciences

Lamia Guzman – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Corey Hudgins – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Sydney Huynh – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Benoria Karpeh – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Hashir Khan – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Joseph Leppert – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Diego Luna Bazan – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences

Joanna Luna Mendez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Diversity

Mahnoor Mahmood – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Creative Arts

Josue Marcelin, Jr. – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences

Jonathan Marin – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Alex Martinez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Micaela Martinez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

David Contreras – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences

Matthew Moore – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences

Audrey Mosquera – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Mary Mott – Goshen High School – Citizenship

Karol Moya – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort

Isabella Ortiz – Goshen High School – Creative Arts

Jeilynn Palomino – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort

Meera Grace Patel – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Sciences

Nishi Patel – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Xavir Perez Espinoza – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Joshua Phillips – Goshen High School – Athletics

Vanessa Quaye – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Luka Radjenovic – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages

Gabrielle Rivera – Goshen High School – Creative Arts

Amya Roach Long – Goshen High School – Citizenship

Angel Rodriguez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Mathematics

Melanie Rodriguez – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Alexa Rosario Sanchez – Goshen High School – Citizenship

Nathaly Trinidad – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Perseverance/Effort

Joseline Sandoval – Goshen High School – Perseverance/Effort

Vincent Santoro – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Foreign Languages

Noah Warburton – C.J. Hooker Middle School – Citizenship

Scarlett Winkler – Goshen High School – Citizenship

Elijah Woods – Goshen High School – Technology