The Aronson Award Committee considers social justice to mean that everyone should be treated in a fair, impartial and dignified manner with equal access to opportunities and privileges within our schools, community and society.
The Judie Aronson Initiative gives three $3000 awards annually to students from one of three Beaufort County public schools: Hilton Head, Bluffton and May River. These awards are given in honor of the late Judie Aronson, a Hilton Head resident whose passion was advocating for social justice and education in the Lowcountry. The purpose of the award is to recognize high school juniors or seniors who demonstrate in their actions a commitment to social justice in their school or community. This award is not a scholarship, and you do not have to be college-bound to receive the award.
Review the Social Justice tab on this website for further information on our definition of social justice, and the Evaluation Criteria tab to examine how the award winners will be selected.
To apply for the Aronson Award for high school juniors or seniors, review our definition of social justice and evaluation guidelines, then complete and submit the online application no later than April 15, 2025. Your application and a letter of recommendation must be submitted through this website. The letter of recommendation should relate specifically to your social justice project and activities. Additional materials should not be included, as they will not be considered in making this award.
Galen Miller exemplifies the cultural identity of his Gullah roots–the importance of family, community, and service. His work through the school Beta club, including cooking for families at Ronald McDonald House generated more than 300 applications for membership this year. Galen Miller has worked with the Hilton Head MLK Committee for Justice as well, organizing service projects such as cleanup of Gullah cemeteries, Children’s Day at Boys and Girls Club, and encouraging students to register to vote. In his essay, Galen Miller wrote about his “journey toward social consciousness guided by a deep-seated belief in the inherent dignity, worth and rights of every individual.”
Brooke Simons advocated for inclusion of students with disabilities in social activities at Hilton Head High School, providing them with meaningful connections to the student body. She re-started a dormant Project Unity into a school club with more than 100 members, then expanded it through a partnership with Pockets Full of Sunshine to create volunteer opportunities and raise funds for adults with special needs. Her future plans are to become an attorney advocate for special needs population
As an officer in the school Beta Club, Emilie Fister impressed her teachers with her kindness and passion to give back to others. Despite working two jobs and playing two varsity sports, Emilie earned the Mayor’s Call to Service Award for contributing over 150 hours of service to the community. She started “dress down” days at her school to raise money for the Hilton Head Gullah Museum and the Malala Fund (advocacy for women’s education globally).
Garrett Simons recognized that children with disabilities and children of poverty were experiencing unfair treatment and advocated for them through Project Unify at his school and Pockets Full of Sunshine in the community. He raised funds, assembled, and delivered over 400 “birthday boxes” for families served by area food banks. These boxes contain everything needed to celebrate a birthday in the family—banners, cards, cake mix, candles and soft drinks.
Jaala Grant’s commitment to social justice includes extensive work with the Martin Luther King Day Committee and the Mitchellville Project. She will be attending the University of South Carolina and will live in a residence hall dedicated to leadership and community
Grayson Short’s emphasis is in the anti-bullying campaigns. He has mentored young people who were bullied, as he once was, and has found creative ways to show young people how to recognize and overcome bullying
Camden Bernstein, influenced by her mother’s work with special needs’ students, works regularly with students who need extra help. Her endeavors have found outlets in both the fields of dance and photography. She has developed a program for the Island Rec Center in adaptive cheerleading for the coming summer. She also is using her prize winning photography to highlight the cultural heritage of our community. She is planning to attend the College of Charleston, with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Dance.
Madison Hahn, realizing that others in her school community were not as fortunate as she, joined Youth in Government and schooled herself in the kinds of gaps that exist in her community. She strongly supports education reform and spoke at the community meeting to support those opposed to the removal of books from the school shelves. She hopes to become a lifelong advocate of social justice with a goal of practicing law and public policy so that she can be an “advocate for the voiceless and a force for good.”
Abigail Nance is an advocate for socio-economic justice with her work with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. She works toward helping students see the value of higher education and how students can avail themselves of that opportunity through the FAFSA program for financial aid. She has been an ambassador for the program both in the school and with her contacts in local media. She will remain an ambassador through her first year in college and then will go on to further her own education so she can continue to target socio-economic injustice in our community.
Bella Miller saw injustice at her school in the treatment of second language, LGBT students, disabled students, and students of color, then formed the May River Diversity and Multicultural Inclusion Club. This group has acted as a forum for dialogue in the aftermath of student incidents and advocated for gender awareness issues. She participated in the Social Justice Research Academy at the University of Pennsylvania and the ACLU National Advocacy Institute, and has increased awareness of the need for social justice through published articles following
her summer internship through the School of the NY Times and Boston University.
Kaitlyn McDonagh of Bluffton High School addressed the issue of food insecurity by contacting local businesses and neighborhoods to solicit both food and monetary donations for families who were struggling as a result of the COVID pandemic. She collected over 10,000 food items and distributed them to more than 50 families in the Bluffton area. As Senior Class president, Katie promoted equity in student events (e.g. the prom and homecoming) by ensuring that fund-raising activities did not highlight student inequities or embarrass those who could not afford to participate.
Tyler Shrewsbury started projects to assist students and families who struggled during the COVID19 pandemic, organizing a student led food drive that he expanded to the greater Bluffton community through social media, collecting and transporting more than 10,000 food items. After spearheading the food drive, Tyler started a nonprofit organization to assist families in need. He plans to continue to advocate for his community after obtaining an engineering degree in college.
Joy Schleicher’s work is in inclusion of all, based on her support for gender equality. She is traveling to Costa Rica this summer on a service trip, and then will to continue her social justice work through her studies in both undergraduate and graduate school. Her long range goals include work with the Peace Corps and the Department of Education.
To earn the Aronson Award, Isabel Long worked in her community with Best Buddies, where she paired with a special needs’ student at her high school, and with Compassion International. Her future includes studying health care and contributing to the needs of underserved communities both in our country and in others.
