2020 Young Heroes Honorees - National Liberty Museum

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The National Liberty Museum celebrated its TD Bank 2020 Young Heroes Award on Saturday, September 12.

The National Liberty Museum celebrated its 20th annual TD Bank Young Heroes Awards with a Virtual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, September 12. The ceremony honored 14 inspiring finalists, ages 18 and younger, who identified an area where liberty was lacking and took action to make positive change in their local schools or communities. This year’s TD Bank Young Heroes were chosen from a pool of national nominations from eleven states, and includes seven young people from the Philadelphia region. The nominations were submitted by friends, teachers and community members who recognized the incredible contributions of these outstanding young citizens. The names of the honorees are listed below. The 2020 President’s Honor Winner, Nikita Bharati, received a $2,000 Scholarship.

To mark the occasion, TD Bank Representatives, National Liberty Museum leadership, friends and family gathered via zoom for a special event where each Young Hero was recognized and their stories were shared. Arnav Kaushik was the Keynote Speaker. A 2017 Young Hero as an 8th grader, Arnav started the Last Chance Repair Club to reduce landfill waste and teach fellow students at Souderton Charter School repair skills.

Congratulations to the 2020 honorees. Click on their videos to learn their stories.

Nikita Bharati, President’s Honor Winner
Chandler, Arizona
Basha High School

Molly Cantillion
Livingston, New Jersey
Newark Academy

Brianna Davis
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Abington Friends School

Andrew Diep-Tran
San Marcos, California
Mission Hills High School

Matthew Genatempo
Sellersville, Pennsylvania
The Pennington School

Dev Joshi
Atlanta, Georgia
The Westminster Schools

Amy Liu
Warrington, Pennsylvania
Central Bucks High School South

Trinity Pryor
Yardley, Pennsylvania
The Pennington School

Tristan Riobe-Taylor
Nyack, New York
Liberty Elementary School

Bianca Salerno
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Coopertown Elementary

Jace Wilson
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Beverly Hills Middle School

Bill Zhang
Holmdel, New Jersey
Holmdel High School

Annie Zhu
Houston, Texas
Bellaire High School

Zahyr Thomas
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
William L. Sayre High School

Strength & Fragility Exhibition Now Open

Strength & Fragility: The Story of the NLM highlights the life of the Museum’s founder Irvin J. Borowsky, and how his belief in universal equality and liberty, as well as his passion for contemporary glass art, led to the creation of the National Liberty Museum. Strength & Fragility includes engaging archival material, stunning glass artwork, and immersive soundscapes. The centerpiece of the exhibition is a magnificent 9-foot-high glass canopy by Ulla Darni, entitled “The Peace Portal.” It features a custom sound bath experience, Seeds of Love, written and produced by Philadelphia-based sound artist Luna Maye, in collaboration with composer Alfiya Glow.

You'll find complete information here.

Art that acts as Social Commentary

The Graphic Content exhibition features graphic-centered artworks that take inspiration from counterculture tradition and give voice to those outside the mainstream. It features works that embody the artists' personal reflections on the current social and political climate.

The exhibition is on view through November 7, 2021
Learn more and purchase your Museum tickets now.

The artform of cartooning celebrates diversity, liberty, and inclusion

As a companion piece to the Graphic Content Exhibition, the NLM has brought back select pieces from Caretoons, a popular annual exhibition/competition that ran from 2005-2010. Through drawings submitted by children, as well as amateur and professional artists from around the world, the images in Caretoons grapple with contemporary issues through the approachable lens of cartoons and graphic art.

Click here to learn more and purchase your Museum tickets.

An exhibition celebrating NLM Award Winners

Since the NLM’s founding, a major component of our work has been our series of annual awards programs honoring the everyday heroes who live among us. This exhibition celebrates teachers, students, police officers, firefighters & first-responders, and healthcare professionals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and made a difference in the lives of others.

Click here to learn more and purchase Museum tickets.

Programs for Kids & Families

The NLM offers a full calendar of virtual and on-site programs for kids and their families. We invite you to join us as we explore the themes of respect, taking action and spreading liberty to all. Check out our exciting list of summer events.

Special Thanks to the Satell Institute for sponsoring
these FREE summer workshops: Click here for dates and times.

-Beyond Wakanda: Black Superheroes from Comics to Real Life (for Kids 8-12), A FOUR-DAY workshop.
-Tik Tok Liberty (for teens), A FOUR-DAY workshop over a four week period.
-The Power of Art: Express Yourself (Teens age 14-18), A TWO-DAY workshop.

Events at NLM

The NLM hosts a robust calendar of programs and events for adults, from thought-provoking panel discussions to fun and engaging tours and workshops.

To see what's happening this summer, click here.

For special evening adult programs, visit NLM@Night.

Virtual Guided Group Tours now available

Here's a great way to enjoy the NLM. Our staff will lead you on a virtual tour of the Museum, as they explain our history, our mission, and our special exhibitions. We offer a range of virtual guided tour themes or we can customize a tour specifically for your group.

You'll find complete information here.

Support the Next Generation of Heroes

Each school year, we send NLM educators directly into Philadelphia’s most underserved schools to teach students critical leadership skills, such as courage, integrity, responsibility, respect, and most important, empathy. We show them that they have the power through their First Amendment Rights to use these skills to make positive changes in their school and community.

Help us continue to bring this program to as many students as possible.
Click here to donate now.

Police officers, firefighters, and other emergency responders are honored

The National Liberty Museum celebrated its 15th annual Awards of Valor, presented by Your Local Chevrolet Dealers, via a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. The event included several notable keynote speakers and was attended by the honorees, their families and colleagues,

Learn more here about their impressive and inspirational stories.

NLM Honors Medical Professionals

The National Liberty Museum is proud to host its annual Healthcare Heroes Awards, presented by Teva Pharmaceuticals. This international awards program recognizes inspirational heroes in healthcare research and treatment whose accomplishments have profoundly benefited their patients, their field, and the global community.

The 2020 Awards Ceremony was held virtually on December 3.
Click here to learn about the honorees.

NLM honors 14 inspiring students from across the country

The National Liberty Museum celebrated its 20th annual TD Bank Young Heroes Awards with a Virtual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, September 12. The ceremony honored 14 inspiring students, ages 18 and younger, who identified an area where liberty was lacking and took action to make positive change in their local schools or communities.

Learn about these amazing young people here.

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