Why Not You? Why Not Now?
Every year, The Challenge Program, Inc. hosts a Student of the Year competition. To enter, students that attend a TCP partnered school can fill out a survey and explain how The Challenge Program, Inc. and their business partner has affected them and also answer the questions "Why Not Me? Why Not Now?" The Student of the Year is named at our annual Crystal Owl Gala and awarded $1,500! The top 3 finalists are awarded $1,000 and the top 10 is awarded $100.
The 2021 Student of the Year Competition is closed for entries but the 2022 competition opens in January!
Meet our 2021 Student of the Year Finalists and Winner!
Lyndsey Kitchen
Student of the Year Winner
Cambria Heights High School
11th Grade
Rebekah Taylor
Finalist
Parkway West CTC
12th Grade
Zoey Mundorff
Finalist
Ringgold High School
10th Grade
The following students round out the top 10:
Braden Thomas - Cambria Heights High School
Emily Dale - Tyrone High School
Gabriella Gibson - Central Cambria High School
Jadine Vanderaar - Canon McMillan High School
Kaylee Frederick - Conemaugh Township High School
Michelle Zheng - Richland High School
Mila Brdar - McKeesport Area High School
TCP Student of the Year Competition Hall of Fame
2020
Gracie Hartle - 2020 Student of the Year
Gracie Hartle
2020 Student of the Year
Angelina Colaianni - 2020 Student of the Year Finalist
Angelina Colaianni
2020 Student of the Year Finalist
Destiny Harrison - 2020 Student of the Year Finalist
Destiny Harrison
2020 Student of the Year Finalist
2019
Cole Nickolls - 2019 Student of the Year
Ringgold High School
Business Partner: cfsbank
“cfsbank has been utterly spectacular in paving the way for my personal achievements in the program. Their gift of leadership to my school district has inspired me to work even harder to prove my worth as a citizen of my community.
Without cfsbank, I never would have been given the opportunity to participate for this award.
The assistance from The Challenge Program has driven me above and beyond even my own expectations of myself and pushed for my good fortune every step of the way.
The Challenge Program has given me a foundation to build upon for years to come. An opportunity such as this comes once in a lifetime. For that, I am forever grateful.”
Click here to watch Cole’s video.
Cole Nickolls
2019 Student of the Year
Jayda Jones - 2019 Student of the Year Finalist
Brownsville High School
Business Partners – COE Distributing and Ford Business Machines
“COE Distributing and Ford Business Machines highlighted and emphasized the fact that hard work is rewarded, which motivated me to keep going.
We felt important and they really made it seem like we had all the control. It made me feel determined to focus on and reach my own personal goals.
I owe a lot of thanks to The Challenge Program for my lifestyle change, because of the way that they motivate students to go out and reach goals that don’t seem reachable.
The Challenge Program has allowed me to find my voice as an individual. It has allowed me to find out what excites me, what motivates me, and what drives me. It has let me find my passion.”
Click here to watch Jayda’s video.
Jayda Jones
2019 Student of the Year Finalist
Calyx Castel - 2019 Student of the Year Finalist
Central Cambria High School
Business Partner – S&T Bank
“S&T Bank did give the school more reasons to work hard because they showed the students how simple it could be to make a difference in your own life. The only thing standing in our way was ourselves.
They didn’t only focus on working to make yourself better, they focused on what you could do to be encouraging to others as well.
The Challenge Program was a constant reminder throughout my high school career that the grades I was earning were meaningful to my future and could help me in numerous ways whether that was through scholarships, getting into college, or just demonstrating to myself that with hard work comes great outcomes.
The reminder yearly that there were a group of people who saw that I was a good student, helped me improve my work ethic.”
Click here to watch Calyx’s video.
Calyx Castel
2019 Student of the Year Finalist
2018
Cheyenne Springette - 2018 Student of the Year
Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School
Business Partner – MARC USA
“You can use [the awards] to achieve success and help it enhance your life goal. I have noticed my work ethic and time management skills have grown.”
The Challenge Program’s presentation during Cheyenne’s freshman year inspired her to volunteer in her community. For the next three years, Cheyenne volunteered at a bingo hall and a dance studio. Cheyenne wrote in her Student of the Year entry that working with seniors taught her about customer service, kindness, and the worth of a quarter. Working at the studio taught her about children and casting. Along with the life experiences she gained during her service hours, Cheyenne is hoping volunteering will open doors to her future. “I am glad that the Challenge program came to speak to my school freshman year to get me to start thinking financially about college.” Cheyenne knows that scholarships and financial aid will be her only path to attending college and The Challenge Program showed her one path with community service. “I want to thank the challenge program for that. Without these opportunities, I don’t think my mother and I would be able to come up with enough money for me to continue into college.”
Challenges are something my life has never lacked. As I said my first words, my father drove 30 minutes away to another family, and I was to be cared for by only my mother ever since. It was never easy, but we could always make it work. At 10, a dreamed sparked in me that I still can’t shake. My family scraped to pay for my acting classes, and that’s when I launched my theater experience. Everything is my muse and I work to portray all of it. Even when I was told I wasn’t good enough because of my skin color, weight, or talent, I kept believing in my dream to perform. When I started high school at Pittsburgh CAPA I was thrown deeper into the acting world. I worked in theater for half of my day and spent hours at home practicing and preparing for upcoming shows and class. The rest of my time was used working at a hardware store, catering company, and volunteering at a bingo club in my community. I became treasurer for CAPA’s Black Student Union, created the “High Key” singing group, and did musicals and plays all year around. This is all possible because of the Challenge Program and their stress on scholarships early in my high school career. As a sophomore, I was naïve in thinking I could get by without help to go to college. Then one day I looked up, acknowledged my father’s absence, and knew my life would be different than other kids. I know that my mom alone cannot help me get through school, and without this information from the Challenge program I wouldn’t have started volunteering or started the college process for an actor. I understand what money can do; it is very powerful, especially in our society. My mother has worked so hard to give me everything she can, but college is another hurdle for us to jump. I intend to use the scholarship money to continue leading, immersing in my acting, and dreaming in whatever college I choose to go to.
I have noticed my work ethic and time management skills have grown and not only that but I have gained a respect for quality conversations. In these past 3 years of volunteering twice a week at bingo and once a week at the Donna Belajca Studios, I have gained experiences that I will never forget. Seeing some ladies have a negative outlook on life at bingo gave me all the insight on how not to be. Some taught me how to be positive and how to treat workers in the world. By auditioning students from Belajac Studios, I learned how to perform at auditions better, something important to my career.
Click here to watch Cheyenne’s video.
Cheyenne Springette
2018 Student of the Year
Nathaniel Semanek - 2018 Student of the Year Finalist
Bedford County High School
Business Partner – Corle Building Systems
“Every single student was offered the same opportunity…work as hard as you can, make great choices and define your future.”
The entire message of The Challenge Program has motivated me to be the absolute best version of myself every single day since its presentation at my school. Quite simply, The Challenge Program has given me an extraordinary opportunity to truly be recognized and rewarded for consistently and continually making great choices. The Challenge Program message particularly inspired me because every single student was offered the same opportunity. The message wasn’t for a certain club, a certain sports team, or a certain type of student. The message was simple, work as hard as you can, make great choices, and define your future. That is a challenge I accepted whole-heartedly without hesitation. I have personally challenged myself to have a positive impact on my family, my administrators and teachers, my peers, and my community every day. I was also motivated by the word “improve.” There really is no such thing as perfect, however, I firmly believe we all should work to improve our weaknesses. Let’s face it, we all have a weakness or two. My baseball coach has a quote that inspires me daily, “Strive for perfection, accept excellence.” The Challenge Program message is simply another version of that excellent statement. At the end of the day, it doesn’t cost a penny to make a great choice, it takes the desire to do what is right. Fortunately, we have all been offered the freedom to make great choices. I am very thankful that The Challenge Program has made an enormous effort to inspire and motivate all students to make great choices every day. Also, I admire the countless efforts to recognize the dedication and devotion of those students who are impacting the future by making phenomenal choices today.
Trouble, turmoil, and even heartache does not discriminate. Writing about personal challenges and struggles is very hard for me. You see, the reason I don’t like to talk about mine is the fact that I don’t want to allow such horrible moments in my life a page in my scrapbook so to speak. I’m seventeen and much like most teenagers my age. I’ve been mocked and ridiculed along the way, I’ve been inappropriately labeled from time to time, and I’ve been excluded from the group throughout the years. With that being said, I have not allowed any of these events to cause any lasting hurt. However, at the beginning of my sophomore year, my family and I faced the worst challenge we had ever encountered. An extremely awful and unnecessary hardship was caused by one individual who had a horrific record of making terrible choices. My father was hit head-on and severely injured by a repeat drunk driver. This man had no license and was over three times the legal limit. The drunk driver crashed into my dad just seconds from our home at 2:45 in the afternoon, the same time my school was preparing to dismiss students. His completely selfish act of disregard and disrespect for any laws caused my family and me to be rocked to our core. I found myself, at the time, very angry and very sad about what had happened. I felt helpless and simply had trouble processing daily life. This inner struggle led me to lose sight of my priorities, especially when it came to school. I had trouble coping with the reality that the irresponsibility of one individual could cause my daily “normal” to be anything but. My family struggled, I struggled. I had to drop out of many of the activities that had always been a part of my life. So many material things that I truly took for granted, became extinct. I remember receiving an email from my guidance counselor during this time. In his message, he encouraged me to continue focusing on everything that I could control. He challenged me to help my family by continuing to do my very best at school and at home. Soon after receiving this email, The Challenge Program visited my school, and by sharing their program, presented me with a similar message of hope. These truly inspiring lessons and challenges were exactly what I needed to hear during this period of my life. I worked even harder at home and in school in order to not let my family down. I approached every day with positivity, purpose, and mental tenacity. This led me to excel throughout my sophomore and junior years, as well as to win The Challenge Program’s Academic Excellence award. To this day, I struggle from time to time with the emotions of my family’s senseless hurt and pain caused by the very poor choice of another. There, sadly, are physical reminders that will be present for the rest of my life. So, I make a conscious decision, every day, to not use the most horrible time in my life as a crutch, but rather as very strong building blocks of my ever-developing character.
The challenge of being the best possible version of myself at home, at school, and in my community has enabled me to be more in tune with my goals. The program has given me a reason to continually evaluate and prioritize my daily tasks, as well as plan for the future. It also has encouraged me to always remain positive even through unfortunate conditions. However, the most profound effect that has resulted from challenging myself, is the confidence I have gained in extending my positivity and desire to make the world a better place to those around me. I have strived not only to challenge myself, but my fellow classmates, which I feel is an important aspect of improving in any way. By carrying out the message of The Challenge Program, I am confidently being a positive role model, I am confidently making the right choice instead of the popular choice, and I am confidently pushing myself to do better every single day.
Click here to watch Nathaniel’s video.
Nathaniel Semanek
2018 Student of the Year Finalist
Miranda Marsinek - 2018 Student of the Year Finalist
Meadowbrook High School
Business Partners – Antero Resources and MarkWest Utica
“I learned the characteristics that a student can obtain by working hard throughout the school year and how important they are to employers.”
Achieving academic success became my top priority very early on in my educational career. I was always told how important it was for me take school seriously and earn good grades, but I was never really told why. Although I was performing well in school, after hearing the message from The Challenge Program, Inc., I realized I was just going through the motions. During the presentation, I learned the characteristics that a student can obtain by working hard during the school year and how important they are to employers. Hearing this motivated me to put forth my best effort in school to compete for the academic excellence and STEM awards. I was also motivated to put forth my best effort in all my assignments to reach my full intellectual potential and become the best version of myself for the future. The Challenge Program, Inc. also taught me the importance of building a resume and becoming a well-rounded individual by incorporating more community service and extracurricular activities into my schedule. I was motivated to compete for the community service award and was excited to participate in meaningful activities.
After The Challenge Program, Inc. assembly, I decided from that day forward I would make it my personal goal to maintain straight A’s during my high school career and get involved in clubs such as National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes to gain more opportunities to get involved in my community. I left the assembly with a purpose to keep working hard in the classroom and the motivation to become the best prospective college student and employee possible. Afterward, I wanted to challenge myself by taking the most advanced courses because I knew it would be more beneficial for my current growth and future plans. “Scholarship” is characterized by a commitment to learning, and I will continue dedicating the time and effort necessary to reach my educational and career goals. Playing varsity volleyball was an almost year-round commitment. Completing work and studying for my college courses, working part-time, trying to get involved with more community service, and relaxing and interacting with friends were all competing for the little free time I had. It was difficult at first for me to manage my time to accomplish what needed to be done while also minimizing the stress of being so involved. It didn’t take too long for me to create a schedule that worked well for me, and I have enjoyed many benefits by making these personal changes.
I have noticed that I enjoy putting forth the effort and hard work required to achieve academic excellence because the success is more valuable when it feels like your hard work has paid off. I also enjoy the feeling of making positive impacts in my community through acts of community service. I have a strong desire to help those in need, and by recognizing this passion, I have been able to incorporate it into my future plans and goals. Since I decided to take on the challenge of taking the most advanced courses in my high school, I will be better prepared for the rigor and intensity of college courses at the University of Pittsburgh, and I have earned over 30 college credit hours that will transfer to the university and shorten the time I have to attend to earn my degree. Due to the fact I have enthusiastically taken on responsibility in the community, I am thought of highly by my peers, family, and faculty members in my school district as having the characteristics of a good citizen.
Click here to watch Miranda’s video.