Photo: 2020 Rising Stars
By JN and JCC Staff
10/08/2020 11:00 AM
The Jewish News
Keep your eye on these young people making a positive impact on the Jewish community.
We are proud to announce this year’s Rising Stars: Teens Making a Difference! These 18 remarkable teens were selected by judges chosen by the JCC for their incredible achievements and for the positive impact they are making on others and in the community.
Detroit Jewish News, the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit, Jfamily, and the Youth Professionals Network, who partnered on the project, had planned to announce these Rising Stars in April, but — like so many other things in 2020 — our plans were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The JCC and our community of youth-serving organizations are pleased to once again partner with the Detroit Jewish News to recognize 18 outstanding teens making a positive impact on our world,” said Director of Teen Engagement, JCC of Metropolitan Detroit, Katie Vieder.
“A lot of the news we see related to teens can be really negative, focusing on the challenges and problems youth experience or cause. We are excited to place the focus on the positive and shine a light on the kindness, innovation and leadership we see in our teens. These youth are doing amazing things, and they deserve to have their voices heard and their accomplishments recognized.”
The JN team is also excited to showcase these accomplished young people in our pages. “This might be the first time you hear these names,” said JN Associate Editor Jackie Headapohl,” but it definitely won’t be the last. I’m confident we’ll be hearing more from them in the future as they continue on their paths of being shining lights in the Jewish community.”
Among one of the 18 “Rising Stars of 2020″ in the Metro Detroit Jewish community is Elisha Cooper who is quoted as having coordinated a fundraiser to support Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, an organization that supports a cause that is very important to her personally.”
Elisha Cooper
Elisha, 18, of West Bloomfield, graduated from Frankel Jewish Academy this year. She is a member of Adat Shalom Synagogue. At FJA, Elisha was involved in the National Honor Society, was the captain of both the Girls Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Basketball teams and founded the Girls Basketball Club. She was chosen by the head of the science department to be his lab assistant and a student chemistry tutor. Elisha also coordinated a school-wide fundraiser for the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, an organization that supports a cause that is very important to her personally.
Last year, she spent her summer interning for FRIENDS of Jewish Senior Life and was later chosen by FJA as one of the eight high school students to present at the Eight Over Eighty event at Jewish Senior Life. She also attended the RoboTraffic competition at the Technion in Israel last year with the FJA Robotics Team, winning first place for her and a fellow student’s design of a fuel injector, which the judges deemed “professional quality.”
Outside of school, Elisha is a technology tutor, helping an elderly couple with any technology questions they may have. She was the vice president of the Teen Volunteer Corps at Adat Shalom Synagogue, as well as an event chairperson for Tech Connect at Adat Shalom and a three-year Madricha. She was also a two-year Teen Board Member for the Jewish Fund and a Because We Care Fellowship Board Member with Jewish Family Service. She was also a two-year member of the JSERVE Teen Board and a recent first-place winner of the National Council of Jewish Women essay scholarship competition.
Source: thejewishnews.com/2020/10/08/2020-rising-stars-teens-making-a-difference/
