Greeley Central Senior Awarded $1,000 Scholarship for National Youth Service Day Awards

GREELEY, Colo. - Mayor John Gates presents Luluya Tekle with the 2024 National Youth Service Day Award at the Greeley City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 16. Tekle is an 18-year-old senior at Greeley Central High School.

The Greeley Youth Commission presented Tekle with a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship check for her phenomenal volunteer efforts.

Nomination

Hannah Woerner, with the organization The Greeley Dream Team, nominated Luluya Tekle. In the nomination application, Woerner said Tekle "is one of the most involved and passionate students I have ever met."

Volunteer Efforts

Tekle is an exceptional volunteer, completing 658 hours of community service during her senior year. "She is the president of Central High School's Best Buddies program, is a Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) representative, has organized fundraisers for Sickle Cell Anemia during Black History Month, is a pillar of the yearbook, does social media management for the boys' basketball team, participates in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), FoodBytes for WCSD6, Key Club, Student Equity Team, HerStory, and National Honor Society. In these activities and volunteer experiences, Tekle gives her all."

The organizations that Tekle volunteered for include:

• SHAC (50 hours)
• Key Club (100 hours)
• Student Council (100 hours)
• Black History Month project (60 hours)
• Make Kindness a habit project (15 hours)
• Best Buddies (40 hours)
• National Honors Society (65 hours)
• Student Equity Team (20 hours)
• Youth leadership (8 hours)
• HerStory (18 hours)
• Upward Bound (30 hours)
• Mural Bike Lane (5 hours)
• FoodBytes for D6 (5 hours)
• Council of Student Representatives (15 hours)
• FBLA (15 hours)
• Cultural Assembly (40 hours)
• CASB Conference (72 hours)

"In addition to her service through external sources, Tekle has also generated her circumstances for service," said Woerner. "Tekle learned a second language and understands feeling left out of the mainstream. She met with the Secretary of Education and board members from around Colorado to learn how she could improve her school."

"She is passionate about photography, opened her own business, and uses her skills to take free photos for seniors who cannot afford to pay for them. She has already worked to create massive change in her community."

Tekle is also the recipient of the prestigious Boettcher Foundation scholarship, per a D6 news release dated April 2.

History

The National Youth Services Day Awards recognize the power of youth service. They reinforce to young Americans the importance of helping others. The Greeley Youth Commission accepts nominations each year for individuals who have performed outstanding community service.

The Greeley Youth Commission is a student-run governing body whose goal is to get young people involved in leadership roles in the community.

###