Alanna Pellicane is a recipient of The President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award for 2023.
Presented by AmeriCorps, the federal volunteerism agency, the award was recently presented to Alanna “in recognition and appreciation for (her) commitment to strengthen our nation and communities through volunteer service.”
“Receiving this award has made me feel proud of myself, accomplished and appreciated,” said Alanna, who serves as Attica’s student government president and is a member of the district's National Honor Society chapter. “I wanted to represent Attica High School and show the community how great this school is.”
Becki Peters, a high school English teacher and co-advisor of Attica’s NHS chapter, said one word comes to mind when she thinks about Alanna: motivated.
“I’ve never met a student more self-motivated to get involved and make a difference in her community - both school and the community at large,” said Peters. “She’s inspiring.”
In order to be eligible for AmeriCorps’ Gold Award, a volunteer must accumulate at least 250 hours of community service.
After attending the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference during her sophomore year, Alanna set a goal for herself of accumulating 100 hours of community service. She met that goal more than a year ago in September 2022 before setting a new goal of 250 hours, which she’s likewise already exceeded.
“My goal is to graduate high school with 500 community service hours between my junior and senior years,” she said, “and my lifetime goal is 4,000 hours.”
Alanna said she’s looking forward to future service opportunities through Attica’s National Honor Society chapter and hopes to inspire others to volunteer.
“I want to set an example for the younger generations,” she said.
In addition to her NHS membership and role in student government, Alanna is president of Attica’s Best Buddies chapter, a drum major with the Mighty Marching Blue Devils and was recently named a Genesee Region Athletic Association exceptional senior for her work between the sticks this past season as a member of Attica’s varsity girls soccer team.
She’s also a talented photographer and can often be spotted chronicling school and community events with her camera for her burgeoning photography business, Pellicane Photography.
Photos courtesy of Alanna Pellicane
Attica senior Alanna Pellicane was recently presented with The President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award for 2023. She earned the award for completing 250 hours of community service.