Theme: Changing the Narrative

How do YOU change the narrative? Changing the narrative means altering how your story is written, and in order to do so you must venture beyond the status quo, and this will look, feel and sound different to each one of us. No one who has ever changed a narrative said it was easy. How do you consider changing the narrative? Who has inspired you to push beyond the status quo?

Bergen Community College
400 Paramus Road
A104
Paramus, New Jersey, 07652
United States

Amelia Rowniewski

Health professions student

I’m Amelia Rowniewski and I’m a junior at Applied Technology High School. When I was two years old, I was diagnosed with kidney failure. My doctors didn’t know what was making me sick, but eventually they knew I would need a kidney transplant. After almost a month in the Intensive Care Unit and four months of dialysis, I was diagnosed with end stage renal failure and received a kidney transplant at the age of three. Since then, I have made it my mission to raise awareness about kidney disease and organ transplants. I work with the American Kidney Fund to advocate for kidney patients on Capitol Hill and I volunteer for organizations like the New Jersey Sharing Network and the Transplant Games of America. In my free time, I enjoy quality time with family, reading, and baking. I hope to become a healthcare professional in the future so I can help others with organ failure.

Ashleigh Zysman

High school athlete

Hi! My name is Ashleigh Zysman and I am a senior in Health Professions at Applied Technology High School. I am a member of the Applied Tech debate team and founded our school’s ModelUN club along with one of my peers and I am also a lacrosse player. Outside of school I enjoy hiking, skiing, and all things outdoors!

Deborah Patrick

Health professions student

My name is Deborah Patrick. I am a Junior at Applied Technology High School in the Health Professions major. I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, and playing soccer. My life goal is to help and educate others on the importance of health, rest, and self-care. As a teenager with aspiration to advance my knowledge in the medical field, I am dedicated to hard work.

Erika Toliao

Mechatronics student

I am a senior at Applied Technology High School in Paramus majoring in engineering. As a part of the school’s Technology Student Association (TSA), I build physical and digital prototypes to compete in innovation competitions. I am also a leader in many school clubs, including Mathletes, where I participate in mathematics competitions. I take part in Girl Scouts and the ATHS Climate Team, through which I make my community a better place. I plan to study computer science, specifically software engineering in the future. During my free time, I enjoy spending time coding as well as hanging out with my family and friends.

Hemant P. Singh

Wealth management

I was born in India and grew up on Long Island. As part of an immigrant family, values of education and hard work were instilled early. As I attended City college in NYC, at 21 years of age I was recruited by a premier and #1 firm on Wall Street. At 27 yrs old I founded and started Private Wealth Management, an independent money management company. By 2008 our company merged and today is KS Capital Management. In my 34th years as a private advisor I’ve learned and strive hard to be ‘necessary‘. My interests are varied and my work is what I do, and not who I am. I awake each morning with a plan to discover and live in the present. Passion and Curiosity are core tenants. My interests vary as much as they change. My personal mantra is, ‘ man who can’t change his mind, will soon have no change to mind’.

Ivan Ruiz

Space enthusiast

My name is Ivan Ruiz, I’m a junior in the medical field for Applied Technology High School, because of this I found what I want my occupation to be centered around. When I first took biology and studied life, giving me the freedom to examine species on a microscopic level, I’ve been interested since. I want to spread to you that same interest, but instead bring up the idea, what if biology or life expands outside the world we know? I know it sounds crazy, sci-fi like even, but this new emerging job, astrobiology, has become my dream job. I cannot wait to share with you my enthusiasm about this subject, and make you question what future discoveries hold.

Jude G. Husein

Former UN Youth Delegate

Jude Husein, I’m a passionate advocate, Palestinian American and former United Nation’s Youth Delegate. I serve as the Chairwoman of Jobs and Economics for the Mayor’s Philadelphia Youth Commission where I organize, develop, implement and execute various events and strategies for youth voice across the City of Philadelphia. I serve as a trusted community messenger where I advocate for all people through community organizing and political testimony. I graduated from the School District of Philadelphia and attended La Salle University where I completed my undergraduate degree in 2021.

Reem Farhat

Graduate student - Journalism

My name is Reem Farhat and I’m a storyteller, a lifelong student, and a poet. My upbringing as a Muslim Palestinian American has inspired much of my love for justice and storytelling. In May 2021, I graduated from Fordham University with a degree in Journalism and International Politics. I’m currently pursuing my masters degree in International Reporting at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. For the past five years, I have served as the editor in chief of Falastin, a literary magazine which highlights Palestinian voices from all over the diaspora. My goal is to continue using my storytelling skills to report on underrepresented communities and social justice issues.

Shanti Singh

Rock climbing enthusiast

My name is Shanti Singh and I am a junior in the medical program at Applied Technology High School. When I was 3 years old I was adopted from Xiushan, China. This along with many other experiences in my life such as being part of a multicultural household, performing in musical theatre, joining a rock climbing team and more, have shaped me into the person that I am today. Throughout this, I have learned that only you get to choose who you are. Not the people you surround yourself with nor your life upheavals. I hope you enjoy my speech and it helps at least one person.