​​Romanian American National Heritage Awards 4th edition - 2020
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2020 Edition awards

Ștefan Ene - Platinum National Award (Sunset High School, Portland, OR)

A third-time participant, Ștefan has applied with a wonderful project  Code Sinaia 2020 that connects Romanian American teens passionate about coding and programming to their peers in Romania. Ștefan was part of the international team that planned and delivered this project last summer, with people from the West Coast of the United States, all the way to an undergrad student from South Africa. His role went beyond helping as an assistant for the courses before the actual summer school began, including website creator and manager, social media presence coordinator, and helping with developing the curriculum. As the online week of courses started, his responsibilities shifted to guiding the participant students through their project. 
This project represented an opportunity for Ștefan to grow both as a teaching assistant and programmer, as well as a way for him to give back to students close to his age. A great outcome of their project has been learning from and working with engineers and university professors in the computer science area. 
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Ana Ilinca Hagiu - Platinum, West  (The Overlake School, WA)      ​

​A second-time participant, Ilinca Hagiu is excited to be able to contribute to the Romanian community and is looking forward to helping the instructors at the Romanian School in WA prepare their online classes during the pandemic. Ilinca has been volunteering at the school since 2019. She loves working with children, bringing her heritage to the classroom. She hopes that her work helps develop a meaningful connection for young children to their families’ traditions and culture. During the pandemic, Ilinca organized a virtual piano recital for her family and friends in Romania, and has deeply enjoyed using music to create a bridge between her two cultures. ​
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​Nicole Sandu - Platinum, Central (Lane Tech College Prep, IL)

​Nicole has been leading a book club for children from the Romanian community in the Chicago area. She enjoys the sense of comfort of being in a community who shares a similar cultural background. She firmly believes that as humans, we need to express our ideas in a community that understands who we are. Leading a book club has helped Nicole grow closer to her Romanian roots and culture. Especially during these times, when community and togetherness are more important than ever, she is increasingly thankful for this book club and the kids she gets to talk with every month. 
Read an outstanding interview with Nicole and find out her views on being Romanian -American. 

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​Andra Marinescu - Gold National (Skyline High School, WA)
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During her time volunteering at various ARCS projects, including the Romanian Center of Excellence, as well as for the Taste of Romania festival, Andra has immersed herself in her parents' rich and vibrant culture. Participating in multiple programs allowed her to work with many different kinds of people. Helping at Romanian festivals gave her valuable insight to growing up with a different lifestyle. Teaching children at the Romanian Center of Excellence was her way of passing on to younger children the knowledge she gained from her relatives, as well as other community members. She highly valued her time teaching and helping children feel connected to their roots.
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​Larissa Sâmbotin - Silver, West (Skyline High School, WA)

​Realizing how important it is to keep the connection with her heritage, this year Larissa worked to help one of her friends in Romania learn English and discover American culture. This was also a wonderful opportunity for her to find out new things about Romanian culture, as well. She has been enjoying this project and is planning to expand it to involve more Romanian children. She believes her project has helped her understand more about who she is as a Romanian American. 

Participant	School	Award
​Stefan Ene	Sunset High School, Portland, OR	Platinum National Award
Ana Ilinca Hagiu ​	The Overlake School, WA	Platinum, West
Nicole Sandu	Lane Tech College Prep, IL	Platinum, Central
Andra Marinescu	Skyline High School, WA	Gold, National
Larissa Sâmbotin	Skyline High School, WA	Silvier, West