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URBANA, Ill. (AP) — He raised $10,000 to buy 360 laptops for Franklin Middle School in Champaign.
But 14-year-old Nicolas Ramkumar doesn't want credit for his work.
"I have always been taught to try to help whenever I can," he said. "I was taught to always give back and to leave everywhere I am better than when I got there."
Growing up in Champaign schools, Ramkumar — now an eighth grader, or "sub freshman," at University Laboratory High School — saw firsthand the impact technology can have on education.
His older brother, Dan, started a program at Franklin called FIT (Franklin Initiative for Technology) with the goal of achieving one-to-one computing. He raised $1,500 to purchase computers for students.
When Ramkumar entered sixth grade at Franklin, he decided to take his brother's efforts a step further. He spent hours compiling a list of potential donors, went door-to-door in his neighborhood asking for donations and even ran the 5K at the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon to attract sponsors. His efforts paid off with $4,000 in Year 1 and $6,000 last year. Combined, that covered the cost of a lot of Google Chromebooks.
"We often talk to our students about being intentional when it comes to leaving positive legacies," Franklin principal Sara Sanders said. "Nic and his brother, Dan, have truly left amazing legacies. Both of them truly care about those around them and want to make a difference in their school and community."
Thanks to a nomination from his former middle school, Ramkumar was named one of Illinois' Top Youth Volunteers of 2016 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. Only one other student in the state — Jungin Angie Lee of Naperville — was recognized.
"I was really surprised (when I won)," he said. "I honestly didn't think I would make it this far. I wanted to make my school a leader in computer technology and provide students better access to computers. I just enjoyed knowing that I made a difference at that school."
He will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where he will join the top two honorees from each of the other states.
Here's more from Ramkumar, who took time from his tech class on Wednesday morning to open up about his award:
"My mother is from Jamaica, so from when I was young, whenever we visited my grandparents, we would take clothes and toys for kids at an orphanage near my grandparents' home. When I attended Montessori Habitat School, my brother and I collected school supplies to take to the orphanage. In third grade at Garden Hills, my brother and I raised money to buy flags to hang in the hallway of the school after it was renovated. In fourth grade, I organized a drive to collect 300 pairs of shoes for Soles 4 Souls. ... I am very passionate about caring for and protecting the environment and I have helped to plant pollinator-friendly gardens at my home, one of my schools and my church. Another thing I did was after the earthquake in Haiti, I went door-to-door in my neighborhood with friends and raised $200 to help the victims."
"Currently Franklin has about two-thirds of the computers it needs to have one-to-one computing. The school has about 650 students. Having technology makes a lot of things easier, things like research and typing is much easier than having to book the computer lab weeks in advance and only having one day to work in there. (The computers) have helped students learn more effectively with better ability to research, write papers and interact with technology. Plus, teachers can make learning much more interactive and interesting for the students this way."
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Source: The (Champaign) News-Gazette,http://bit.ly/1VauUkb
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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com
This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by The (Champaign) News-Gazette.
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