Going Above and Beyond: A Fireside Chat with the 2021 Young Pioneers Awardees

2021 Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneers Awardees, DiCo DiColandrea, Melissa Hume, Dammara Kovnats Hall, Pamela Schuller, and Avi Siegel, discuss how they are helping their communities build for a brighter tomorrow with The Jewish Education Project's CEO David Bryfman.

Meet the Young Pioneers Awardees

K.M. (DiCo) DiColandrea is the associate director of Yachad, Congregation Beth Elohim's K-12 Jewish and Hebrew education program. He spent 12 years teaching Latin and Speech & Debate in New York City public schools and in his spare time runs the Brooklyn Debate League.

Melissa Hume is the assistant director of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Early Childhood Center. She began her career at the Early Childhood Center as a student and joined the faculty in 2010. Melissa is committed to pursuing best practices, and draws inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach.

Dammara Kovnats Hall works full-time as a Jewish Studies teacher at Rodeph Sholom School where she strives to create exciting classroom communities that celebrate diversity and inclusion. In her free time, she enjoys hosting Shabbat meals and riding motorcycles. 

Pamela Schuller is the founding director of HereNow, a program of the Jewish Board. HereNow is a Jewish teen initiative that promotes mental health, wellness, and resilience through creative programming opportunities and innovative online platforms like the HereNow app. 

Avi Siegel is the Director of the Waxman High School and Youth Engagement at Temple Israel of Great Neck.  He considers it a privilege to work with teens everyday in an environment that is rooted in the beauty of ancient Jewish traditions and values.