Two Worcester Seniors Win Awards for 200+ Hours of Service

Two Worcester high school seniors are being celebrated after earning prestigious community service awards that recognize their dedication to academics, leadership, and giving back.

Lilianna Medeiros and Chelsea Okantey, both seniors at North High School, received the Dr. George Storms Smith Community Service Award and the inaugural Isaiah Thomas Youth Community Service Award, respectively. The honors came after years of balancing rigorous coursework with meaningful volunteer work in their community.

Medeiros, a first-generation college-bound student, has managed to maintain honor roll status while taking advanced placement courses and earning 12 college credits through the Worcester Early College High School Program. She did all this while caring for family at home and leading community projects, including an art initiative raising awareness about vaping and volunteering with the Worcester East Middle School theater program.

"It makes me happy knowing with the home-life I have had, taking care of family and being very busy outside of school, I am still recognized for all I do in school," Medeiros said. She plans to pursue psychology with a focus on mental health advocacy.

Okantey's story is equally inspiring. After immigrating to the United States from Ghana at the start of high school, she threw herself into academics and service, completing more than 200 hours of community work. She currently holds a 4.44 weighted GPA while juggling honors, advanced placement, dual enrollment, and early college courses.

She'll graduate with 12 college credits from Quinsigamond Community College while completing a health science internship at UMass Memorial Hospital. Okantey serves as secretary of the National Honor Society, president of the Bring Change 2 Mind Club, and participates in student council and the Black Student Union.

"I do what I do because I love helping out," Okantey said after receiving her award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship. She's already been accepted to 10 colleges and plans to pursue medical school.

The Ripple Effect

Both students received their awards during Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations in Worcester, a fitting time to recognize young people living out values of service and community leadership. North High Principal Dr. Sam FanFan praised both students for demonstrating "the very best of our school community" through their dedication and character.

Their success sends a powerful message to other students facing challenges at home or adapting to new countries: excellence in the classroom and service to others can go hand in hand. Head guidance counselor Travis Sullivan noted that Medeiros and Okantey "highlight what it means to be a North High student" through their academic performance and community impact.

These two seniors are proof that the next generation of leaders is already here, rolling up their sleeves and making their communities better places.