Byram Hills High School senior Angjelina Vataj, a student in the Global Scholars Program, has been honored with the Richard A. Berman Leadership Award for Human Rights from the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.
Angjelina’s most significant human rights contribution is the founding of Ugandan Health Heroes, a multiyear effort she launched with classmate Della Gonzalez after learning about a 14-year-old girl and her unborn child who died from malaria and insufficient health care.
Angjelina helped a clinic secure crucial government registration, launched a campaign that raised more than $3,000, organized a drive that collected more than 70 pounds of first aid supplies and bedding, and coordinated logistics to ensure the materials reached clinics serving eight villages. She later secured additional funding for the project.
“We’re so proud of Angjelina for her dedication to raising awareness of the lack of access to health care in Uganda and around the world,” said Dr. Jennifer Laden, the Byram Hills Social Studies Chairperson, who nominated her for the award. “She exemplifies ethical leadership, sustained commitment to community service, and a profound belief in education as a catalyst for human dignity and global responsibility.”
Angjelina, who was honored at the center’s Human Rights Institute for High School Student Leaders on March 18 at Iona University, has consistently demonstrated a commitment to service across multiple communities, Dr. Laden said.
As a campaign organizer for the Mount Kisco Child Care Center Holiday Gift Drive, she helped lead an effort that raised approximately $7,000 and is raising awareness about menstrual poverty, leading a drive to distribute period packs to those in need through 914 Cares. She is also a Big Sister, a classroom leader in a special education program, a CCD teacher, and a mentor to another student, supporting the same Ugandan medical clinic she helped establish.
“Her work stands as powerful evidence that one student’s determination and willingness to lift others as she leads can create lasting global impact,” Dr. Laden said.
Angjelina has embraced the responsibility of educating others. At the institute, she and Della presented an interactive workshop on health care as a human right in Uganda.
