By Abigail Goldberg
For Community
The annual BBYO awards will be handed out at the Jewish Community of Louisville’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 14. These awards recognize young people for their achievements in the Jewish community, at school and in the community at large.
Here are this year’s winners:
The Joseph Fink BBYO Community Service Scholarship is a four-year scholarship presented to a senior who was an active member of their BBYO chapter during all four years of high school and performed a significant amount of community service during high school. The recipient is also active in their school and in the community-at-large. The recipient will receive this scholarship for four years as long as they stay in school. Awardees will also receive up to $300 per year over four years, up to $1,200. This year, awards go to Jenna Shaps and Katy Roemer.
Jenna Shaps
A recent graduate of Kentucky Country Day School, Jenna will attend Indiana University this fall as a media advertising major. She was active in BBYO locally as morah (vice president of recruitment), s’ganit (vice president of programming), and n’siah (president). Jenna also served as regional mazkirah/gizborit for the 2020-21 term and as n’siah for the 2021-22 term for the Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio Region of BBYO. Jenna went to CLTC, IC, Movement Makers and numerous local and regional conventions throughout high school. She was the yearbook editor and volunteered with the lower school at KCD. Jenna is a member of Adath Jeshurun.
Katy Roemer
A recent graduate of St. Francis School, Katy will attend the University of Kentucky this fall, majoring in chemistry. She eventually plans to attend pharmacy school. Katy served as chapter morah, shlichah (vice president of Jewish enrichment) and n’siah. She attended CLTC, IC and traveled to Israel in 2021 with BBYO. She was involved in numerous local and regional conventions during high school and also volunteered with Americana World Community Center, Gilda’s club and the Jewish Community Center’s After School Program. Katy is a member of The Temple.
The Stacey Marks Nisenbaum Award is presented to an incoming high school junior or senior who is a leader in BBYO, strengthening and growing the program, while staying active at school and in the community at large. This year, awards go to Nila Rothman and Ada Weiss.
Nila Rothman
A rising senior at duPont Manual High School, Nila has served as her chapter’s gizborit (vice president of fundraising), and n’siah. She tutors at The Temple, where she is a member, and is a leader in Jay Levine BBG.
A rising senior at duPont Manual High School, Ada has served locally as
Ada Weiss
gizborit, s’ganit, and morah and was recently elected regional morah for the Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio Region. Ada consistently learns from her international counterparts and volunteers with friends to be a better leader in the region. She is a member of Keneseth Israel and attends Camp Livingston.
The Ellen Faye Garmon Award goes to an incoming high school junior or senior who is involved in their BBYO chapter and community, working to strengthen and grow both. This year’s winner is Alex Schwartz.
Alex Schwartz
A rising senior at Ballard High School, Alex has volunteered with J-Serve for two years and with Shabbos Friends at JFCS, celebrating Shabbat with seniors at Magnolia Springs. He teaches tennis with Rising Stars of Kentucky Tennis, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting youth tennis in underserved communities. Alex won a gold medal for recreational tennis at the Maccabi Games in Los Angeles. He is a member of The Temple and attends Camp Livingston.
The Stuart Pressma Student Leadership Development Award is presented to incoming high school juniors or seniors who are involved in their BBYO chapter while keeping up devoted community service. This year, the award goes to Nicole Scaiewicz.
Nicole Scaiewicz
A rising junior at North Oldham High School, Nicole has served as s’ganit and n’siah. She will again serve as chapter n’siah for the fall term. Nicole volunteers with The Temple and works in the Hebrew School. Nicole has built meaningful relationships and continues to improve her leadership abilities through BBYO. She traveled to Israel in June 2022 on a “Passport to Israel” trip. Nicole is a member of The Temple.