Schools

Johnson's Rachel Syko Wins Comcast Scholarship

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship recognizes New Jersey high school seniors for academic achievement and community service.

Johnson senior Rachel Syko was recently named one of the 69 recipients of the Comcast Foundation's Leaders and Achievers Scholarship program. 

The program provides one-time $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools and who serve as models for their fellow students.   

To apply for the program students had to complete three essays focusing on leadership and community service, which was easy for Syko. "Every year I pick a new community service to be involved with," she says. Freshman year, Syko was involved in the Key Club at Johnson and sophomore year she volunteered with New Jersey Hawks specialized soccer team for kids who are disabled. "I would go there and do drills and things, and the kids were so cute and you really had to be patient," says Syko. "It was one of the best experiences."

Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Soccer has always been one of Syko's passions. She played for Johnson varsity and a traveling team throughout high school. She'll also continue to play in college at Kean University, where she's been accepted as one of 50 freshman into the university's prestigious Leadership Program.

Junior and senior years, Syko volunteered as a cadet with the Clark Emergency Squad. Her work with the squad and her many concussions incurred on the soccer field, led Syko to an interest in speech therapy, especially helping head trauma patients. Senior year, Syko shadowed Judith Koebli, the district's speech therapist, and has now decided she will study speech therapy at Kean.

Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to her service work, Syko also has plenty of credibility as a school leader. She's been class president every year at Johnson and was chosen as homecoming queen this year. But it was the off the field that really got Syko inspired to do something. 

"When I found out about Eryka, everyone was just in terrible shock," says Syko. "I talked to my mom and said we have to do something." First, Syko and her mother started selling rubber bracelets, and then they coordinated an auction fundraiser at the Firehouse in Rahway. They raised more than $5,000 to help with Underwood's medical bills. 

Charisse R. Lillie, vice president of Community Investment of Comcast Corporation and executive vice president of the Comcast Foundation, was joined by New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno and Assemblywoman Pam Lampitt, who chairs the Assembly’s Committee on Higher Education, in recognizing the students at a special event held at the Trenton War Memorial on May 17.

“In the state of New Jersey, we are committed to helping our young people gain access to quality education and opportunities for personal success,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Comcast shares in that commitment and through programs like Leaders and Achievers, is investing in a bright future for us all.” 

“Comcast is proud of its Leaders & Achievers scholarship recipients. They represent some of the best and brightest high school seniors who also demonstrate civic involvement in the communities we serve across the country,” said Lillie. “We are thrilled to support their educational efforts with these scholarships.”

Since the program’s inception there have been more than 15,000 scholarship winners totaling more than $15.4 million nationwide, including nearly $1.3 million awarded to students in the state of New Jersey. 

 ----

See the other 2011 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship winners from New Jersey:

Atlantic

Atlantic City – Anthony Cox of Atlantic City High School

Galloway Township – Cierra Kaler-Jones of Absegami High School

Richland – Matthew Doherty of St Augustine Preparatory School

 

Burlington

Burlington – Luke Capritti of Burlington Township High School

Burlington – Angel Wilson of Burlington City High School

Columbus – Aashika Suseendran of Northern Burlington County Regional High School

Delran – Aubrey Paris of Delran High School

Moorestown – Autumn Talley of Moorestown Friends School

Mount Holly – Brett Axler of Rancocas Valley Regional High School

Mount Holly – Arayna Spratley of Burlington County Institute Of Technology

Willingboro – Kyleen Cezar of Willingboro High School

 

Camden

Atco – MacKenzie Slusser of Winslow Township High School

Camden – Gabrielle Days of Camden City Creative Arts High School

Camden – Kwame Phillips of Charles E. Brimm Medical Arts School

Camden – Alexis Sutch of Camden Academy Charter High School

Cherry Hill – Shannon Cahill of Camden Catholic High School

Cherry Hill – Kerwing Hy of Cherry Hill High School West

Cherry Hill – Tezita Watts of Cherry Hill High School East

Erial – Deanna Doyon of Timber Creek Regional High School

Gloucester City – Angela Harris of Gloucester City Junior-Senior High School

Lindenwold – Christopher Price of Lindenwold High School

Pine Hill – Gilbert Bundalian of Overbrook Regional Senior High School

Sickerville – Joseph Cannizzo of Gloucester Township Technical High School

Voorhees – Jianan Huang of Eastern Senior High School

Westmont – Matthew Dezii of Haddon Township High School

 

Cape May

North Wildwood – Brittani Helverson of Wildwood Catholic High School

 

Cumberland

Bridgeton – Shannon Branch of Bridgeton High School

Millville – Sarah Workman of Millville Senior High School

 

Essex

Caldwell – Meghan Duffy of Mount Saint Dominic Academy

Montclair – Kevin Alvernaz of Immaculate Conception High School

West Orange – Deborah Rose of West Orange High School

 

Gloucester

Franklinville – Olivia Davis of Delsea Regional High School

Sewell – Diondre Douglas of Gloucester County Institute of Technology

Westville – Jade Fox of West Deptford High School

Woodbury – Julio Interiano of Woodbury Senior High School

 

Hudson

Jersey City – Alexis Domenech of University Academy Charter School at New Jersey City University

Jersey City – Rachel Freeman of St. Anthony High School

Jersey City – Devin Jackson of Henry Snyder High School

Jersey City – Fantasia Jenkins of St. Dominic Academy

Jersey City – Penafrancia Malcampo of Saint Mary High School

Jersey City – Kamal Shah of Dr. Ronald McNair Academic High School

Jersey City – Harsh Swaminarayan of William L. Dickinson High School

 

Hunterdon

Glen Gardner – Kathryn Hahn of Voorhees High School

 

Mercer

Ewing – Courtney Rufh of Ewing High School

Trenton – Tyis Everett of Trenton High School West

Trenton – Brian Ridolfi of McVs Assunpink Center V.S.

 

Middlesex

Carteret – Rubina Chauhan of Carteret High School

East Brunswick – Taran Sayal of East Brunswick High School

Monmouth Junction – Ernest Miu of South Brunswick High School

Monroe Township – Shannon Vaivada of Monroe Township High School

Perth Amboy – Lorenza Jerez of Perth Amboy High School

Plainsboro – Shayla Reid of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North

 

Monmouth

Highlands - Sue-Jean Sung of Marine Academy Of Science & Technology

Lincroft – Betty Liu of High Technology High School

Long Branch – Diana Dos Santos of Long Branch High School

New Monmouth – Kara Teehan of Mater Dei Prep

 

Ocean

Point Pleasant – Jacqueline Taylor of Point Pleasant Beach High School

Toms River – Steven Brandt of Toms River High School East

Toms River – Brisamar Cruz of Ocean County Voc-Tech School

Toms River - See Gin Lee of Toms River High School North

Toms River – Luke McCauley of Toms River High School South

 

Union

Berkeley Heights – Eric Whyte of Governor Livingston High School

Clark – Rachel Syko of Arthur L. Johnson High School

Cranford – Colleen Jones of Cranford High School

Plainfield – Chanelle Sears of Plainfield High School

Scotch Plains – Megan Tosato of Union Catholic Regional High School

Summit – Gregory Vartan of Summit High School

 

Warren

Hackettstown – Amanda Haar of Hackettstown High School

Washington – Jessica Nguyen of Warren Hills Regional High School


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here