• Princeton Prize in Race Relations Awards Ceremony | Princeton Prize (May 2024)
• Core Values Award Recipient | Ransom Everglades School (April 2024)
• "STEM-bassador" Event Representative | National STEM Festival (April 2024)
• Featured Local Student Advocate; “Why Not Us?” Article | Impact Edition Magazine (May 2023)
• Special Recognition Student Award Recipient | Ransom Everglades School (May 2023)
• 2023 Global Youth Leader Fellowship Selection | Nyah Project (May 2023)
• "Jason Jenkins Community Service Award" Inaugural Recipient | Breakthrough Miami and Miami Dolphins (April 2023)
• Youth Photography Fellowship Selection | HistoryMiami Museum (January 2023)
• Teen Artist Exhibition Selection | The Bass Museum of Art (March 2023)
• Teen Artist Residency Selection | Oolite Arts (June 2022)

The South Florida Princeton University Alumni Chapter hosted the local Princeton Prize in Race Relations Awards Ceremony at the home of the Chapter President, where I received the "South Florida Regional Certificate of Accomplishment Award" for my "Teach the Truth Tour with Dr. Marvin Dunn: Learning From The Acts Of Racial Terror In Florida’s Black History” documentary film. In attendance were members of the South Florida Princeton University Alumni Chapter, my parents - Moraly Arroyo and Jay Jefferson - and my school's administrators - Judge Wendell Graham, Gia Maxwell, and Webber Charles - from Ransom Everglades Upper School.

I was honored to receive the award for my film, which documents the inaugural two-day tour in 2023 led by Dr. Dunn to sites in North Florida, where numerous acts of racial terror - the bombing of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore, the Newberry Lynchings of 1916, and others - were committed against Blacks throughout the state’s history. The tour concluded with a 100th-year anniversary ceremony in remembrance of the victims of the infamous Rosewood Massacre, which was held on the five-acre property of Dr. Dunn - the only Black person who currently owns land in Rosewood, Florida. 

Dr. Dunn describes the “Teach the Truth” tour as a direct response to the attempt by politicians in Florida to legislate a ban on the teaching of Black History to public school students throughout the state. My documentary was produced to help ensure that the racial terror experienced by Black Floridians throughout the state's history is not forgotten or erased.

To learn more about my documentary film, visit the link below:

https://www.jamoraarroyojefferson.com/teach-the-truth

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During the Ransom Everglades "End-of-School-Year Awards Ceremony", I was honored to receive a “Core Value Award” for exemplifying

the values of committing to the school's tradition of building an inclusive learning environment that celebrates individual accomplishments and supports the collective achievement of the student body as a whole.

At the end of the ceremony, I was fortunate to take a photograph with our Head of School, Rachel Rodriguez.

To learn more about the Ransom Everglades Schools, visit the link below:

https://www.ransomeverglades.org/

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Selected to represent the National Million Girls Moonshot "Flight Crew" program at the inaugural 2024 National STEM Festival held in Washington, D.C. (April 11-13) and served as one of five “STEM-bassadors” tasked with escorting event VIPs throughout the Student Expo, interviewing winning students for social media posts, and participating as a host in TikTok Live broadcasts during the festival activities.

The National STEM Festival celebrates the exceptional talents of our nation's youth and the innovative businesses driving progress, all year round. Its mission is to guide bright minds toward careers in STEM and to tackle the world's most pressing challenges.

To learn more about Impact Edition magazine, visit the link below:

https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/

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In the May 2024 issue of IMPACT Edition magazine - which features me and my fellow Ransom Everglades Upper School classmate, Will Charouhis, on the cover - I was honored to be interviewed for the article “Why Not Us? Young activists are using their creativity, authenticity and collective power to rewrite social narratives and policies. Will you join them?” 

In the article, I was identified as one of the most active and vocal youth advocates in Miami for my involvement in numerous local and national youth organizations, my interest in environmental sustainability, and my advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ student community.

IMPACT Edition is a Miami-based nonprofit publication dedicated to sustainable development and collective impact, with a mission to elevate the voices of local changemakers advancing social and climate justice in the communities within South Florida.

To learn more about IMPACT Edition magazine, visit the link below:

https://www.impactedition.org/

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During the Ransom Everglades "End-of-School-Year Awards Ceremony", I was honored to receive a “Special Recognition Student Award” for my commitment to my fellow schoolmates and my dedication to improving our school community through acts of service and volunteerism.

At the conclusion of the event, I was able to take photos with our school's Chief Operating Officer, David Clark, and Head of School, Rachel Rodriguez.

To learn more about the Ransom Everglades Schools, visit the link below:

https://www.ransomeverglades.org/

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On May 16th, I celebrated learning that I was one of twelve South Florida high school students selected for Nyah Project's 9th Global Youth Leaders Fellowship cohort.

The selection process, which began with over a hundred candidates, proceeded throughout a four-month period and included multiple elimination rounds. During this time, the fellowship candidates attended numerous leadership meetings, professional development workshops, and presentations by industry experts as well as completed a team video project competition.

As part of the fellowship, the 2023 cohort received community leadership training and extensive college scholarship counseling as well as we traveled on a two-week overseas global leadership trip to the country of Morocco in North Africa.

To learn more about Nyah Project, visit the link below:

https://www.nyahproject.org/

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During the “Breakthrough and Bridges” presentation at Florida International University, I was awarded the inaugural Breakthrough Miami and Miami Dolphins sponsored “Jason Jenkins Community Service Award” for my acts of service and volunteerism throughout Miami-Dade County.

I first met Mr. Jenkins on the middle school campus of Ransom Everglades during the Breakthrough Miami summer session of 2019, while serving as a member of the site's "Welcome Committee". His visit was to announce the new Miami Dolphins partnership with Breakthrough Miami.

Mr. Jenkins was a beloved figure who worked tirelessly to support the youth in our community. I will do all that I can to honor his memory.

To learn more about Breakthrough Miami and the Miami Dolphins, visit the links below:

https://breakthroughmiami.org/ | https://www.miamidolphins.com/community/footballunites

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On January 22nd, I was excited to learn that I was one of the six high school students from across Miami-Dade County to have been selected to participate in the inaugural HistoryMiami Museum 2023 Youth Photography Fellowship, made possible in part by a generous donation from the Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation as part of its CreARTE grant program, which is administered by the Miami Foundation.

The 6-week program was directed by award-winning documentary photographer and museum fellow, Woosler Delisfort, and included a new Canon EOS camera and accessories for each participating student.

The program was designed to help us “capture and amplify community stories relating to Black, Indigenous, people of color and Latinx community members” while teaching how to become visual storytellers through the lens of a camera. Additionally, the program introduced the group to local guest artists and numerous members of the museum staff during in-person workshop sessions.

Our final assignment was to capture a series of images of personal interest, which were showcased in the museum's online Youth Photography exhibition.

To learn more about HistoryMiami Museum, visit the link below:

https://historymiami.org/

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My digital artwork titled “Ancestral Mirror” was selected for the 2023 Teen Art Exhibition presented by The Bass Museum’s Teen Board. This special exhibit featured recently produced artwork by talented South Florida high school artists.

The wide-ranging and innovative body of artwork showcased in the month-long exhibit represented a glimpse into the minds and interests of the talented local teenage population.

To learn more about The Bass Museum, visit the link below:

https://thebass.org/

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Selected to be one of twelve teen artists throughout Miami-Dade County to participate in a unique 6-week summer art residency hosted by Oolite Arts.

Under the tutelage of a weekly rotating lineup of talented Miami-based teaching artists, the teen residency participants learned about the hosting artist’s creative process and their work practices as well as we completed a variety of art projects assigned by the week's teaching artist.

The program gave local teen artists a chance to work on their artistic practice in a non-academic setting.

To learn more about Oolite Arts, visit the link below:

https://oolitearts.org/

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