2024 Caring Heart Award Recipients

Six students from academies across the Atlantic Union Conference received the 2024 Caring Heart Award for Christian service. The award was established to recognize students attending Adventist academies who have “demonstrated a personal commitment to active participatory service and witnessing activities and programs.”

Bermuda Institute
Guyen Bean can be described as a friendly, dependable, spiritual student leader loved and admired by his school peers and teachers.
Guyen finds joy in being a Christian. It is a role that he willingly embraces.  He does not shy away from controversies or deeds that will challenge or support his faith. As a Christian, he is dedicated to ensuring that he lives a life that is Christ-centered and impactful. As a result, he is sensitive to the sufferings of others and has the gift of connecting with and seeking solutions that will bring relief.  When he is unable to help directly, he will make it a point to find other resources that will make a difference.
Guyen is always upbeat and positive. As a student leader role model, he leads with integrity and accountability. He never hesitates to volunteer to lead any group that supports others and can always be depended on to go the extra mile and to do so with a smile and lots of positive energy.
Because Guyen lives as a committed Christian, his authenticity is admired by his schoolmates. The student body finds him to be open, kind and trusting. Guyen’s long-term goal is to one day become a pastor and to serve full-time as a recruiting agent for Christ.

Greater New York Academy
Pierce Barrett is a 17-year-old senior at Greater New York Academy, where he serves as the chaplain of the Student Association, leader of the Young Preachers Club, and vice president of the Student Council.

Since he was eight, the Lord has been using Pierce to share His Word with others. From preaching to telling children’s stories, Pierce has been spreading the Word of God in and out of New York. One of his varied passions is singing, but he also loves to work for the Lord in whatever capacity.

Pierce has been a counselor and mentor for the past three years at the Youth Bible Mentorship Program in the Bronx. He has a passion for helping children he realizes are not as blessed as he is. On many occasions, Pierce has not hesitated to share his lunch with other students or to ask his mother to add a few extra dollars to his regular lunch money so he could.

From a tender age, Pierce loved ensuring the older church members were okay. Of all the children, he was the only one who would sit and have a conversation with them. He is a member of the Morris Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he serves as a chorister, junior deacon, and one of the youth leaders.

Northeastern Adventist Academy – Brooklyn Campus
My name is Maya Taylor. I am a senior who will attend Washington Adventist University after graduation. I’m honored to receive the Caring Heart Award and thrilled to have this opportunity to introduce myself to you.

Over the years, I’ve learned diverse interests and skills that have shaped my journey. However, I’ll start from elementary school. Before I came to Northeastern Adventist Academy, I attended Cortelyou Academy, an elementary school that teaches middle school education to prepare them for the future. During my stay in that school, I grew to love mathematics, which is rare for someone my age. From third to fifth grade, I strived to make it into the top three of my math class, and I accomplished my goal when I reached fifth grade.

Even when I arrived at Northeastern Adventist Academy, some teachers recognized me for my strong abilities in mathematics. There was even a running joke that I was one of the teacher’s favorites. Throughout the years, I’ve gained more and more knowledge about the subject, even though the lessons were getting more difficult each year. In the end, with the help of my teachers, I figured out what career I was willing to pursue.

In conclusion, receiving the Caring Heart Award serves as both a culmination of my journey thus far and a springboard for the adventures that lie ahead. I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition. I pledge to continue striving for excellence in all I do, guided by the values instilled in me throughout my educational journey. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in shaping my story. Here’s to the exciting chapters yet to come!

Pine Tree Academy
Elsa Knowles is a junior at Pine Tree Academy (PTA). The Bible encourages us to take on the character of Jesus, especially in servant-leadership and Christian service. The Caring Heart Award recipients are recognized for these attributes. The faculty and staff chose Pine Tree Academy student Elsa Knowles to receive this honor.

Elsa has made service a part of her life, as evidenced by her school work, church, 4-H, and local community. At school, she has volunteered for many events, such as helping to keep the campus beautiful. Besides being a big help during beautification days, she has volunteered for various jobs around the school throughout the summer. She has participated in school NHS projects such as Operation Christmas Child and American Red Cross blood drives. She can often be found volunteering in the library after school hours. Elsa has also volunteered at her church in several ways, such as staffing a station during a Habitat for Humanity walk and as a youth group fundraiser for Ukraine.

An avid participant in 4-H, Elsa raises prize goats. Because of her involvement in this area, she volunteered to help clean up a farm and a local fairground during her summer vacation. She also puts on demonstrations with her goats for summer camp children. Elsa has also made blankets for Project Linus, participated in blanket and toy drives for Maine Needs, and staffed the 4-H food booth to raise money for local 4-H clubs. She has served on the Teen Council for Cumberland County (2020 to the present), helping to plan and execute community service projects, countrywide 4-H events, and running a career fair for teens.

In her expanded community, Elsa works backstage during the Maine State Ballet’s Nutcracker shows, helping dancers with costuming and makeup and supervising the young dancers. Pine Tree Academy is proud of Elsa’s accomplishments and spirit of volunteerism. Her positive attitude, strong work ethic, and Christian influence are notable.

South Lancaster Academy
Nikolas Kawima Carrilho Mukulukusso was born in Taboão da Serra, a municipality in the greater São Paulo region, Brazil. Since childhood, Nikolas has shown an intellectual ability to make a difference wherever he goes. Interestingly, he won a contest on one of the largest Brazilian television stations when he was a little more than one year old.

His first academic steps were in Adventist education; however, in 2016, his parents decided to move to the United States to offer him and his sister Nataly the best educational opportunities.

He attended public school in the Massachusetts cities of Worcester and Shrewsbury, where he finished elementary and middle school. He always stood out as a dedicated student with a spirit of leadership and was always willing to help his classmates and the community. In 2022, he joined South Lancaster Academy (SLA), where it didn’t take long for his qualities and talents to impact everyone in the SLA community. Nikolas’ journey of success is just beginning.

Union Springs Academy
Zoie Ampri Angel Isaacs, a senior at Union Springs Academy, is a native of Jamaica who aspires to be a neurosurgeon and volunteers at a local hospital. Zoie currently serves as Student Association pastor, is a leader for small group worship, and loves the LORD. She serves with campus ministries, planning and participating in vespers, church service, and week of prayer. She is also involved in music ministry and loves to sing.

Zoie has a mission heart, recently assisting a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and is always looking for ways to serve–any community service project–she is there! Zoie is a Christ-like, sweet person who has been an enormous blessing to our school over the past two years. She is responsible, kind, and humble, always trying to think of others. She leads out in prayer, encourages students in need, and is very verbal about how much she wants to live for Jesus.