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Ariana Nunez has been named October 2017’s RAY of Hope recipient by Needham Youth & Family Services.
Nunez is a senior at Needham High School, and was nominated by Ruth O’Shea; Ariana has been a member of her skills class at Needham High School since September 2016. “She immediately impressed me by her maturity and dedication to her academics, earning honor roll status this past term” stated O’Shea. Along with a strong work ethic, she also showed empathy and encouragement to her classmates in her skills class. “She goes above and beyond her responsibility to help out a fellow student. On one occasion, we formed a study group to review for a test, and I’m certain that her classmate would not have ‘bought into’ this group if she didn’t encourage him.”
Ariana is as a member of the Red Cross Club at Needham High. Every year, the club focuses on different problems affecting people around the world. In the past years, the group has worked with homeless veterans and blind children in Arizona. They also use art as a tool to help people cope with the various issues they face.
Nunez is also a part of a group called The S.E.A.L (Social Empowerment Active Listeners). SEAL is a group that focuses on making Needham High School better, stronger, welcoming, and an accepting community.
In addition to this, Nunez’s responsibilities include family obligations to help out with her siblings after school. “She is bright and capable, and often has to balance a lot of family obligations in addition to high school,” said her school counselor. “Ariana is sincere, honest, kind, giving and has a tremendous appreciation for those who are less privileged and experience hardship. She has true depth of character and is more mature than most peers her age.”
During her free time, Nunez enjoys stepping and dancing at Needham High School. She has been a part of the Bomb Squad, a stepping/step-dancing group that uses a mixture of clapping and footsteps to create rhythms and visual formations that resemble military formations. The Bomb Squad performs at the NHS pep rally in the fall and other NPS events as requested. The Bomb Squad is also invited to represent NHS at various events, namely the Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast in January last year at the First Baptist Church in Needham.
To see the ceremony honoring Ariana, visit https://youtu.be/uNTs7aGjE7k. For more information about the RAY of Hope, visit www.needhamma.gov/youth/ray.
