Holmdel’s Kathleen Antonakakis Approved for
US Congressional Award Gold Medal
16 JUNE 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY EMILY CHANG
Today, high school students manage to do it all. On top of a rigorous
academic course load, young teens are faced with the additional
stresses of extracurricular activities and college applications, not to
mention family and social pressures. Many often wonder how students
like Kathleen Antonakakis, the ability to achieve such high-level, time-consuming
accomplishments is incredibly impressive.
Holmdel High School senior Antonakakis was recently approved for
the US Congressional Award Gold Medal, an award that recognizes 400
hours of Voluntary Public Service, 200 hours of Personal Development,
200 hours of Physical Fitness, and 40+ hours of Virtual Exploration completed
in a 24-month period. Through her journey completing each category
of hours, Antonakakis was able to explore and embrace her Greek
heritage, complete community service with a personal connection and
improve her athletic ability. She began pursuing the Congressional Award
Gold Medal back in September 2018, and even in light of COVID-19, she
managed to complete all her hours by October 2020 and received her of-
For the 400-hour voluntary service pillar, she sought to assist cancer
patients by contributing to their treatment process. This aspect of the
project was especially close to heart as she lost her grandfather, uncle and
family friend to cancer, and was therefore able to connect to each patient
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tion, Share A Little Love, LLC, which provides emotional support to cancer
patients undergoing painful treatments. Launching this organization was
“Each interaction and story I faced with this cause taught me to never
hold back, especially when it comes to philanthropic work. It will always
be a cause that I hold close to my heart,” she said.
In addition to her myriad efforts of service with cancer patients, she
also dedicated time assisting with animal rescue and fundraising through
Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue.
Antonakakis was especially excited for the 200-hour personal development
requirement as it provided the perfect opportunity for her to embrace
her Greek culture. By participating in Greek dancing and singing at
her local church, she was not only able to connect with her Greek Orthodox
religion, but also proudly represent her heritage before her community.
Especially for young teens, embracing one’s culture and religion can be a
crucial aspect of gaining a sense of self-identity.
sport and working on extending her personal bests for triple and long
jump, she was also able to stay in shape and learn about technical aspects
of the sport such as the timing process.
For the 40+ hours of Virtual Exploration, Antonakakis took a virtual
trip to Singapore where she visited the National Museum of Singapore
and learned about the country such as different aspects of the buildings’
Nature Reserve, and how to identify the symbolism in the Merlion Park.
Furthermore, she learned to cook a classic chili crab and bandung meal,
which she said was her favorite part of the overall experience.
savory dish like that put me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “My kitchen
Antonakakis will attend the virtual Congressional Award Ceremony
for recognition of Gold Medalists this summer. She is incredibly thankful
for the support from her “advisors and validators for guiding her through
this journey” and helping her achieve such a monumental award.
Through Antonakakis’ experience working toward this award, she
has learned that “there is no such thing as reaching too high” and that it is
“important to appreciate each step taken along the way because the experiences
included in the journey are much more valuable than the medal
the Congressional Award as it “will diversify an individual’s perspective
personal growth and becoming an active member in the community, and
future students might not realize how powerful they are in the world
until they try.”
Antonakakis will be attending the University of Notre Dame in Indiana
where she plans to major in biological sciences while studying in the
Glynn Family Honors Program.
For more information on the Congressional Award, visit Congressio-
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tion, Share A Little Love, LLC, visit ShareALittleLove.net.
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