Danielle Todd won’t be attending her senior prom this year. Instead, she’ll be at Princeton University attending a symposium on race relations.
Todd, 17, has dedicated the past four years at Ansonia High School to promote race relations in the city and across Connecticut.
Princeton took notice and awarded her the 2011 Princeton Prize in Race Relations for the state of Connecticut.
The prize recognizes significant positive effects on race relations, and includes a $1,000 scholarship and a three-day trip to Princeton in May to talk about race relations with other state winners.
“I have to miss my prom (to go), but that’s OK,” said Todd, 17, the president of the Ansonia High School Human Relations Club. “It seemed more valuable to me.”
Todd applied for the prize and competed against other high school students across state.
Human Relations Club
Todd and the other members of the Human Relations Club have worked for the past four years on a number of community projects.
They have met with senior citizens to learn about people from different generations.
The students have talked to elementary school students to teach them about accepting each other.
They’ve held statewide conferences to teach other students across the state about different cultures.
“I’m very impressed with the body of work Danielle is involved in,” said Nick Collicelli, an adviser for the Human Relations Club. “It really is significant.”
Collicelli said the club has received $40,000 in grants in the past four years and has made a name for itself in Connecticut.
“In less than four years we’ve created a group here that is recognized in all these different ways,” he said.
Todd said that the club tries to hit younger students especially, because they are forming their perceptions about each other.
“It helps,” Todd said. “You go to a middle school, and they hear their peers and older people talking to them, and it really clicks in their heads. They become more aware of what they say, and how they pre-judge people.”
