Farmington High Student Earns Princeton Prize for Race Relations Honors

West Bloomfield High School senior Yesenia Jimenez took home a $1,000 prize as this year's Princeton Prize in Race Relations award winner during an April 14 reception at the Novi Public Library.

Finalists Briana Payton, of Farmington High School, Antara Afrin and Charles Hurt, both Cass Technical High School seniors, Detroit, parents and members of the Detroit area Princeton Prize in Race Relations committee attended the event. 

The Princeton Prize is a national service program recognizing outstanding high school students who show leadership by improving race relations in their communities. Jimenez was honored for creating a program to improve race relations and understanding among Detroit and suburban high school students.

Inspired by issues discussed at a 2012 Youth Civil Rights Conference at Wayne State Universit, she pioneered a student exchange program, “Block by Block,” that allowed West Bloomfield and Detroit Denby high school students to shadow each other, confronting and seeking solutions to inequities and “opportunity gaps” that impede student success. The program was deemed so successful that there are plans to expand it to other schools next year.

Jonathan Hui, head of the Denby High School Social Studies Department, said that the program had a profound impact on students, allowing them to see the great socioeconomic disparities that influence the standards of education that exist between Detroit and suburban schools.

Jimenez has been invited to attend an April 26-27 symposium and awards presentation at Princeton University, with more than 20 other high school students from around the nation. After the symposium, her presentation can be viewed at princeton.edu/pprize/.

Payton took leadership roles in school and community activities promoting multicultural understanding, as an Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force youth volunteer, planning and implementing an annual Peace Walk and Program, and helping spearhead school district Peace Program, Culture Shock and Diversity Conference events focused on promoting understanding among races and cultures in the community and schools.

Afrin and Hurt helped start Cass Technical High School Diverse Roundtable groups, leading discussions about topics pertaining to racial and diversity matters to help Cass students connect despite their differences.

Source: Princeton Prize press release