Outstanding Young Citizen Awardees

 

2024 Outstanding Young Citizens

will be announced Thursday, April 25!

Congratulations to our 2024 Outstanding Young Citizens.

 

Elaina Moore

St. Joseph High School, 11
Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

Heather Stephan

Academic Achievement

I have received highest honors so far for both my freshman and sophomore years of high school and I hope to and plan on continuing to receive highest honors as I continue my journey through high school., Student – 2 Years

Extracurricular Activities

I have been a member of my school’s women’s volleyball team for 3 years as a middle hitter/blocker, and plan to continue playing into my senior year. This sport gave me some of my best friends I have today and continues to give me great new friends every year. I look forward to my senior year of high school volleyball as I get to end my volleyball career with the people I love, playing the sport I love., Member – 3 Years
Along with playing high school volleyball, I also play club volleyball outside of school. I have been playing with my currect team, Westmoreland Elite Volleyball Club, for two years now as a middle hitter/blocker., Member – 2 Years
I have been a student ambassador at my school for 2 years. I help introduce families and young students, who are intersested in attending Saint Joesph High school, around the school during open houses we host., Student Ambassador – 2 Years
I have been a member of a summer swim team for about 10 years. The pool I swim for is Sylvan Park, located in Natrona Heights. I have grown up with an amazing group of people and swimmers throughout my years on the team. This upcoming summer I will be a senior on the swim team, meaning that it is my last year on the team. I am both excited and sentimental about it. I am so happy and grateful for the time I’ve spent on the team and forever grateful for the close group of friends I have gained from it, but at the same time I am sad to end this life journey of mine., Member – 4 Years
I have been modeling for about 4 years. I started my modeling journey by attending Barbizon of PA’s modeling and acting classes at the beginning of 2020. I then got selected by the overall Barbizon agency to attend a competition in Disney Springs, Florida. This competition consisted of thousands of models of all ages, heights, etc., from all over the country. Following the competition I was scouted by some of the hundreds of agencies that were there scouting models and actors. Ever since then I have traveled to different states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and New York, to walk in runway shows. Modeling has been one of my favorite things to pursue. I have made so many amazing friends over the years and have gained so much wisdom and experience from it. I am so grateful for my family, especially my mother, who has fully supported me throughout my entire modeling journey., Model – 4 Years

Community Involvement

The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school I went on a mission trip with All Saints Parish youth group through an organization called Catholic Heart Work Camp. We went to Cumberland, Maryland and were there for about a week. While there, I along with my group helped to build easily accessible flowerbeds for a group of special needs women who lived together in a women’s home. We also went to a YMCA, that helped to house the less fortunate, and we repainted their outdated hallways and helped to clean up the overall environment of the complex. This trip was an experience like no other that I have endured. Seeing the grateful and kind faces of everyone that we helped was truly such a heartwarming feeling. I hope to be able to help others in this way as I grow up., Member – 1 Year
I have been volunteering at my parish’s, Guardian Angels Parish, festival for about 4 years. Every summer my church hosts this parish festival. I help wherever I am needed, whether its working a game booth, or helping transport food and other items from inside to the tents outside., Member – 4 Years
My parish also runs a fish fry every year during the Christian season of Lent. I have been volunteering at this fish fry since I was in elementary school, usually helping run the food out to cars in the drive through, but also helping wherever else I am needed., Member – 8 Years
At my school I am a current member of our Outreach Club. In this club we help to raise money and other necessities for those in need in our community. During Thanksgiving, we held a food drive to provide a Thanksgiving meal to those who were not able to afford a meal for themselves or their families. Similarly, during the Christmas holiday we held a toy drive to collect toys for children whose families were struggling throughout the holidays. And recently, for Valentine’s Day, we made and collected Valentine’s Day cards from students throughout my school to hand out to people in nursing homes., Member – 1 Year
Alongside attending school and playing sports, I also work at a local ice cream stand called Della’s Fozen Custand located in Natrona Heights. I have been working there for two years so far and in a couple of weeks I will begin my third year working for them. Della’s closes for the winter, but then reopens when spring comes around. I also work as a certified lifeguard in the summer at Sylvan Park pool, the same pool I am on a swim team for. This summer will be my third year working there as well. I enjoy both of the places I work at, they both have such a positive atmosphere that makes the time fly while working a shift., Member – 3 Years

Plans

After high school, I plan to attend college and study pre-medicine majoring in Biology or Biochemistry. Following my undergrad, I plan to attend medical school to become an anesthesiologist. I have known since I was a little girl that I wanted to enter the medical field when I grow up so that I can help those in need. I have multiple family members, including my dad, who have had medical diseases, particularly those in the field of cancer, so I have always held medical studies close to my heart.