The Swahili word Ahadi means promise. In keeping with the spirit of the Ubora Award, the Ahadi Award is presented by the African Hall Committee of the Springfield Museums to an African-American young person who demonstrates strong character, leadership, academic achievement, and future potential, and who has made a positive impact on the Greater Springfield community.
Click on the award winner’s name to read their biography.
2009 Myles Postell-Reynolds
2010 Monique Farrell
2011 Bria Brantley
2012 Dana Adrianna Lawes
2013 Raekwon Wheeler
2015 Victor Adaji
2016 David Bass, Jr.
2017 A’Shaela Chaires
2018 Karissa Coleman
2019 Michael Denson, Jr.
2020 Kareem Wedderburn
2021 Tigist Dawit Terefe
2022 Kayla Staley
A graduate of Early College High School (ECHS), Myles is now a freshman at Morehouse College. While at ECHS, he took college classes and did so well that he was invited to participate in the Honors Seminar with the Holyoke Community College Honors Program. He also received the Adams Scholarship based on his high MCAS scores and was a member of the school’s World Quest team.
In addition to his significant academic accomplishments, Myles is passionate about his commitment to social change and sustainable agriculture. He has spent weekends in Boston working and volunteering at the Food Project and related organizations. He also represented the Food Project at a conference in Arizona.
Myles has been recognized for his maturity, enthusiasm, work ethic, and concern for others. When a fellow World Quest contestant’s father died the day before the competition, Myles organized a pasta dinner for the team in support of his classmate. In all that he does, Myles is a high achiever who works hard to make the world a better place.
A 2010 graduate of the High School of Commerce, Monique dedicated the last two years of her high school career to completing the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in which students can earn two years of college credit. She was recognized for her excellence in math and science and was a member of the National Honor Society and of the MassMutual Academic Achievers.
Monique was nominated by her biology teacher who taught a summer microbiology workshop through the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership. He praised her optimism, her enthusiastic attitude toward learning science, and her ability to work as a member of a team. He said, “While other students were off at the beach, Monique was working on her aseptic technique and perfecting her lab skills. Monique is a focused individual and truly is one of the best students I have had the opportunity to teach in my career.”
Monique has also been an active member of her community and school, volunteering her time to tutor other students and leading an effort to promote health awareness at local community centers. Monique has the intellect and ambition to make the world a better place by assisting people-in need and helping to solve global health issues.
A 2011 graduate of the MacDuffie School, Bria is currently a freshman at Brandeis University, one of the many colleges to which she was accepted. After overcoming some difficult years as a young child, Bria worked hard in school and received a MassMutual scholarship to attend MacDuffie. She struggled at first with the rigorous academics but by the end of her sophomore year, she was accepted into the National Honor Society.
In addition to her academic achievements, Bria has actively volunteered in the community. She was a co-founder of Giving Ways to Enhance our Neighborhood which held backpack drives, donated school uniforms to those in need, and conducted food drives. She is member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority youth group, which also serves the needy. She belonged to the Key Club at school, and served food to the homeless at Loaves and Fishes.
In the summer of 2008, Bria was an assistant to a professor at Bay Path College, helping with duties relating to the college’s entrepreneurs summer program for young women. In the summer of 2009 she worked for State Rep. Benjamin Swan learning how to address constituents in need of help. The following summer she worked in the Mayor’s Office, assisting his chief of staff. In 2010 Bria received the Public Health Youth Achievement Award at a luncheon held by the Mayor, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Commissioner of Health and Human Services for outstanding achievement in academics and community-based volunteerism.
During her years at Springfield Central High School, Dana Lawes challenged herself by taking honors and advanced placement courses, and excelling in all of them. She held a 4.2 grade point average and was one of the top-ranked students out of 408 graduates in her senior class. Her academic success was recognized when she was selected for the MassMutual Academic Achievers and the National Honor Society. She also put tremendous effort into applying for scholarships to ensure that she would be able to afford to attend college. She is a now a freshman at Newbury College in Brookline where she will major in Business Management/Hospitality Management.
Dana has strong values that are deeply grounded in her family and faith. She and her two siblings are the children of Jamaican immigrant parents. Dana’s mother, a certified home health aide, instilled in Dana a strong work ethic and the commitment to focus on her goals. After completing a Teen Mini Medical School program at Baystate Hospital, Dana developed an interest in possibly pursuing a career in the health field. With this in mind, she participated after school for three years in the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership, where she interned in the nutrition, injury prevention, environmental services and distribution services departments. Through this hands-on experience, she determined that she would like to investigate a business career in either the medical or hotel fields.
Dana is an active participant in the Springfield Seventh Day Adventist Church and is a member of the Springfield Rescue Mission which serves homeless people in the city. As part of a 2010 church youth group initiative, “Youth against Suffering,” she worked on a campaign to raise money and awareness for a group called Ending Violence Against Women.
In everything she does, Dana is dedicated to excellence and thoroughness. She is a leader and role model with a strong sense of goals and what is necessary to accomplish them. She exudes a quiet strength and determination, and is not dependent on the approval of her peers. She has the drive and skills to continue being an important and contributing member of her college community as well as of the larger community.
Raekwon Wheeler will be a senior at Springfield Central High School this coming school year. He is in the top 5% of his class, and his academic exploration, analytical abilities, and outstanding interpersonal skills have made him an enormous contributor to the Central High School community. Raekwon was the Junior Class President, news anchor for the school’s television and broadcasting network, and member of the National Honor Society. His diligence, positive attitude, and high moral standards have enabled him to excel in all areas in which he engages.
Raekwon not only strives for excellence at school, but also contributes to the community, mentoring youth and assisting at events at the YMCA. Notably, Raekwon attended the Conference on National Affairs last summer, represented Massachusetts at the national level of the YMCA’s Youth in Government Program, and also participated in the “Keep Springfield Beautiful” initiative program. Along with his academic and service activities, Raekwon has an internship with the Baystate Medical Center and Allied Youth Program.
Described as an “incredibly lively, confident, engaging young man,” Raekwon thrives both in his academics and his service endeavors. He acts as a leader in his community and sets a positive example for his peers and for all others who come into contact with him. His potential for greatness as well as his many accomplishments and special character have all contributed to his recognition for this year’s Ahadi Youth Award.
Ahadi winner Victor Adaji emigrated from Kenya in 2013, and speaks both English and Swahili fluently. The obstacles that he faced growing up were many, with poverty and crime a constant threat to his very survival. Victor’s determination, positive attitude, and drive to succeed have enabled him to overcome those challenges and allowed him to flourish in his adoptive country.
Victor finished in the top 5% of his class at Springfield’s High School of Commerce and is a member of the National Honor Society. Because of his exemplary MCAS scores, Victor also qualified for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. While a senior at Commerce, Victor participated in early college programs at STCC and Westfield State University, and is currently attending UMass Dartmouth to study mechanical engineering with a focus on aeronautics.
Described as an “incredibly intelligent, confident, and engaging young man,” Victor thrives both in his academics and his service endeavors. Most notably, he has worked as a volunteer at the Martin Luther King Community Center, where he helped to raise funds for students to participate in field trips and college site visits. Victor also tutored his fellow classmates in math, science, and credit recovery during his after-school hours.
David Bass Jr. is entering his junior year at Putnam Vocational High School where he has distinguished himself as an outstanding student in both the classroom and the community. David has held perfect attendance and highest honors in his first two years of high school, and currently has a 3.9 GPA.
A founder and active participant in Putnam’s Intellectuals Debate Club, David is an outstanding public speaker and communicator, and was elected President by the Class of 2018. He has participated in every volunteer opportunity offered by his school this year, and assisted the Putnam’s Voice outreach group with their annual clothing, canned food, and toy drives as well as neighborhood cleanups. He is also part of the Project Purple volunteer group that seeks to curtail teen drug and alcohol abuse, and a member of Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s 2016 Youth Advisory Board.
David is part of Putnam’s Retail Marketing and Finance program, and plans to embark on a career in real estate following his graduation.
A’Shaela Chaires was born in Springfield, where she lives with her mom, sister, and cousin, and they recently began fostering her sister’s three-year-old godchild. With her grandparents in the duplex next door and her aunt and cousin down the street, A’Shaela has been nurtured by a close-knit family that values looking out for each other.
Maybe that support is what fuels A’Shaela’s fearlessness, a fearlessness that has helped her stand out as a leader who wants to make it clear that she values what people of all backgrounds can bring to a fuller understanding of the world. “I want to help people be who they are and be their best selves”
A senior at Williston Northampton School, A’Shaela is a steadfast community activist who promotes the value of diverse voices within strong, cohesive groups. She saw an opportunity at Williston to change the system by helping to reconstruct the Diversity and Inclusion department. Last year, A’Shaela was chosen to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and People of Color Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Using the skills she learned at this conference, she helped pioneer a school-wide community diversity event called “Why Not Speak Day” and created and ran her own workshop. A’Shaela regularly addresses the entire student body in assembly and encourages participation in the school’s Cultural Identity discussions.
She hopes to pursue a career in accounting because she likes math and business, and she plans to minor in political science “to keep up my activism,” she said. “I want to continue to fight for the voices that are not heard much. You can do that in the corporate world—I’m looking to change the ball game!”
Asked about winning the Ahadi Youth Award, A’Shaela said “I want to continue to change a climate that is not very favorable to people of color. The award affirms my hard work so far and my promise to keep up that hard work.”
Meantime, with a rigorous schedule loaded with Advance Placement classes as well as math, history, and political science, she is very excited about entering into her senior year, open to the possibilities, and ready for the ride.
A vivacious, knowledge-seeking, articulate young person, Karissa Coleman, who attends Springfield Central High School, is a cadet in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (AFJROTC) where she is a training captain. Here high grade point average qualifies her to serve as the Director of Academics and she runs the tutoring program for her fellow cadets. She also helps to mentor younger AFJROTC in the overall training program so they, too, can excel.
Coleman was nominated for the Ahadi Award by her guidance counselor Sara Sewell who is amazed that Coleman maintains the highest academic status while also participating in so many extra-curricular activities. Coleman is a cheerleader, plays softball, is a member of the National Honor Society, volunteers with Revitalize Springfield, Toys for Tots, and Breast Cancer Awareness. She also participates with her church community by singing in the choir, helping to usher, working with the children, and participating yearly in the Easter play.
Sewell said, “I think all the activities that Karissa is involved with distinguish her as a great role model and leader for young people because it shows her dedication to organizations and people other than herself.” Sewell added, “Her continued success in school also speaks to her time management skills!”
Coleman stated: “I am very excited about this award and very thankful that I was chosen for such an honor. As I participated in community service events, cheered at football games, and tutored students, I never thought I would get recognized for doing things that I love. I am very thankful to my teachers, parents, church, and friends, who have guided me on this path and helped me become the person I am today. I am also very thankful to Mrs. Sewell, my amazing counselor who nominated me for this award.”
Michael Gary Denson Jr. is the son of Michael Denson Sr. and Sheree Denson. He was born and raised in Springfield, MA, and is a high school senior at Sabis International Charter School.
In his senior year, Denson Jr. was selected to be the Deputy Head Prefect of the Activities Department of his school’s Student Life Organization. He has served as a mentor to an elementary school student for the past four years of high school, and his school awarded him “most consistent” with his school work.
Recognized for his leadership potential, Denson Jr. traveled on an all-expense-paid trip to Athens, Greece, for a ten-day leadership conference in 2018. He has been a member of the National Honor Society for the past four years and, as a member of that society, Denson Jr. was given the opportunity to tour Europe, visiting London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels. He has also been recognized for his speech-making skills, winning first place in the 2017 Senator Edward W. Brooks III Oratorical Competition for the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc- Theta Iota Lambda Chapter in Springfield, Massachusetts. In the summer of 2018, he had an amazing opportunity to intern for Mayor Domenic Sarno.
Denson Jr. puts in quite a bit of volunteer time. He served as the first Teen Vice President of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of Jack and Jill, Inc. He is an active member of St. John’s Congregational Church, serving as a Junior Usher and a member of the Liturgical Dance Ministry. Denson Jr. helps with many community activities, including the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Denson Jr. has been accepted into twelve colleges and universities. He will choose a school that is academically enriched and socially diverse. Denson Jr. strives to be successful and he believes that starts with being able to get a solid education from the right school. His goal is to become an orthodontist, practicing in New York City.
Denson Jr. said he believes in giving back and would use his degree to offer services to communities not able to afford the high expenses of dental care.
Kareem Wedderburn was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. An independent scholar more than ready to explore new ways of thinking and learning, Wedderburn has many outstanding and wonderful qualities. Possibly most significant is his rare blend of academic exploration, analytical abilities, and interpersonal skills. “He attacks all aspects of his life with a calm considered determination that shows incredible responsibility and focus. Clearly, he has the values and integrity to always do the right thing,” wrote his school counselor, John M. Szymczyk, who nominated Wedderburn for this honor.
One of seven close-knit siblings raised by their mom, Wedderburn challenged himself throughout his Springfield Central High School career with advanced placement coursework, leadership in the school theater productions, and a pivotal Upward Bound program in social justice. “I am a proud alumni of Northfield Mount Herman Upward Bound,” Wedderburn said. Upward Bound’s mission is to enable first-generation and low-income students to succeed in high school and enroll in college. The program also has a significant social justice element. “UB’s social justice program has allowed me to have productive dialogue on a variety of current issues, developed me as an activist, and in general made me more aware of the struggles that Black people and other oppressed groups face,” Wedderburn said.
Wedderburn became passionate about public transit when he started taking the PVTA to school every day. Since then he has studied, written about, and photographed transit as a hobby. He has also made it his career focus. Currently he is a freshman at Westfield State University, majoring in Regional Planning. “Frequent and effective transit is a key factor in improving cities and rural areas,” Wedderburn said. “It’s especially important for poor people and people of color to have access to good public transit, as it provides affordable means to get to schools, jobs, medical care, and more. I plan on having a career in the transit field and help improve transit systems.”
Wedderburn’s drive for success, his zest and enthusiasm for learning, and his keen hope to make a positive difference in the world all add up to the qualities honored by the Ahadi Youth Award.
Tigist Dawit Terefe works part-time at the Pioneer Valley Live Sciences Institute as an intern in the cancer research lab and looks forward to going into cancer biomedical research in the future. She is also a member of District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s Youth Advisory Board, which addresses issues facing today’s teens, researches effective prevention strategies, and works to give youth and residents in the City of Springfield a more powerful voice to make positive change. She is a tutor to other Youth Advisory Board members and she leads the inclusion committee.
Kayla Staley is a rising star who is determined to use her gift as a singer to inspire positive change. At the Springfield Conservatory for the Arts, she enrolled in the highest academic level courses and 4.0 GPA, ranking near the top of her graduating class. Staley was awarded multiple vocal scholarships and was selected to receive private coaching and lessons from Broadway stars, college professors, summer overnight music intensive enrichment camps, and masterclasses with Broadway coaches. She is a frequent guest artist with Grammy winner Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G), and she often performs in the community for special corporate events, Springfield School Committee meetings and Springfield Public School (SPS) special events and is a star in the Conservatory of the Arts music programs.
