On 4th March 2004 the ACS International Schools Foundation awarded their
fourth International Peace Prize to Vanessa Vicera for her project "Destroying
barriers between races and building bridges for friendship" at a special
award ceremony at the ACS Cobham campus.
Vanessa Vicera, a seventeen-year-old student from the Saint Brendan High
School in Miami, Florida, competed alongside an extensive, and highly motivated
field of students from around the world. The International Peace Prize Committee
unanimously recognized that Vanessa had made an outstanding contribution in
meeting the criteria of the Peace Prize. Her work truly embodied the core
philosophy of the ACS Peace Prize "to promote understanding of different
philosophies and cultures, instil respect for people, their work, their beliefs
and expressions, and to contribute to the advancement of peace."
The ACS International Foundation established the ACS International Peace
Prize in 1997 in an effort to encourage young people to pursue activities
that concentrate on global awareness and conflict resolution strategies.
"ACS has committed itself to providing its international student body
with the highest standard of international education," asserts Malcolm
Kay, ACS Superintendent of Schools. "This includes making certain that
our students from over 60 countries learn the importance of cross-cultural
awareness and conflict resolution. We established the ACS International Peace
Prize to demonstrate our commitment to providing students with a foundation
of ethical and cross-cultural awareness, so that they may become true global
citizens."
Vanessa Vicera's award-winning project exemplifies the kind of work ACS seeks
to encourage. Based on her own personal experience and understanding of racial
discrimination, "Destroying barriers between races and building bridges
for friendship" outlines her impressive program of community service
and voluntary work which includes helping at a shelter for the homeless; sending
medicines and used medical equipment back to her country of origin, the Philippines;
encouraging other ethnically diverse teenagers to quite literally play together
in a competitive sports league; working in a nursing home; and organizing
a reading program for homeless children.
" I am deeply honored that ACS, a prestigious and prominent organization,
has taken interest in what I do," says Vanessa. "The recognition
bestowed upon me is in turn recognition of the needs of my community, and
of the poor people of my ancestral country, the Philippines. The award confirms
my belief that I am doing the right thing. I now see that what I originally
thought of as a small, personal family problem that I wanted to fix, is actually
one that impacts upon the lives of many other people. I hope my work motivates
other students of my age to act, and do something about problems that may
on the surface only appear miniscule and insignificant."
At the special presentation ceremony, Vanessa was presented with her Peace
Prize Award and a cheque for £1,000 from Dr. Mats Berdal Bsc (Econ),
D Phil (Oxon). Dr. Berdal currently holds the professional chair of Security
and Development in the School of Science and Public Policy at King's College
London, having formerly been Director of Studies at the International Institute
for Strategic Studies in London. As a recipient of the ACS International Peace
Prize, Vanessa was also awarded with a scholarship to the American University
of Washington.
Biography details about the winner Vanessa Vicer
Vanessa Vicera is an American citizen born in Vienna, Austria on March 12,
1986. She moved to Miami, Florida in 1991. Both her parents are originally
from the Philippines. A Senior and Honor student at Saint Brendan High School
in Miami, Vanessa holds the following extracurricular positions:
- Secretary of the English Honor Society
- Secretary of the Phi Beta Chi (Science) Honor Society
- Historian of the National Honor Society
- Public Relations officer of the Social Sciences Honor Society
- Executive staff member of the Key Club
Vanessa has received the following awards for her voluntary work:
- Do the Right Thing Award from the City of Miami Police Department
- Prudential Spirit of Community Awards from the State of Florida
- People to People International Award
- Violet Richardson Award for Young Women of Soroptimist International
Vanessa actively participates in community service work at:
- Community Partnership for the Homeless, helping African American and Hispanic
families transition back into society.
- Vanessa's Reading Program, encouraging literacy with homeless children.
- The Asian American Sports League, promoting racial diversity through basketball.
- The Heartland Health Care Center, working with the elderly.
- Back to our Filipino Roots Project, sending medicines and used medical
equipment to the Philippines.
