Date: May 7, 2010

Robert B. Sturm Youth Leadership Mission participant Wyatt N. Troia is a testament to how far ADL's education and leadership development programs can take young people. Troia—a senior at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha—has been selected as a 2010 U.S. Presidential Scholar.

In 2008, Troia joined nine of his peers in Omaha for a special Youth Leadership Mission trip to Israel where they toured and studied at Yad Vashem; met Israeli high school students and IDF soldiers in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; and learned about standing up for democratic principals in the face of prejudice and hardship.

Once home, Troia put to task the lessons of civic responsibility, leadership and community service he learned through his experience in Israel. Heading up ADL's No Place for Hate campaign at his school, he launched an effort to stop the derogatory use of the "R" word from everyday speech at his school. Troia later convinced state officials to create an "R" word elimination day in Nebraska. Governor Heineman signed a proclamation last spring declaring March 3rd as "Spread the Word to End the 'R' Word" day.

Troia—who is headed for Harvard University next fall—developed and delivered anti-prejudice lessons at area elementary schools, reaching more than 400 students. The Presidential Scholar also served as a "core leader" for Operation Others, an organization that delivers two weeks' worth of food to more than 1,600 hungry families throughout Omaha.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1351235&forum_id=1#15358682)