Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) presented the Congressional Award to Mahwah resident Ariel Murphy on Friday. One of two 5^th District residents to receive the award this year, Murphy was awarded the bronze medal based on her community service and personal development achievements.  

“Ariel truly embodies the civic-minded spirit of volunteerism and dedication to self-improvement this award represents,” Garrett said after presenting the medal to Murphy. “I know Ariel’s journey to improve her community and become a better citizen is only just beginning with the receipt of this ward. I congratulate her on this important achievement and wish her well in her future endeavors.”  

The Congressional Award Foundation is a public-private partnership created by Congress to promote and recognize service, initiative and achievement by America’s youth. Participants, ages 14 to 23, earn the award by setting and achieving challenging goals in the four program areas: Voluntary Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness and Expedition/Exploration.  Participants earn bronze, silver and gold certificates and bronze, silver and gold Congressional Award medals. For more information about the award, click here.  

Summary of Ariel’s Accomplishments 

For the Voluntary Public Service program area, Ariel spent over 100 hours designing safe and fun events for younger kids, such as organizing a Goblin Gala Halloween event and a Maple Sugaring event with her Girl Scout troop.  

For the Personal Development program area, Ariel participated in the LEGO Robotics Team that programmed a robot to follow colors around obstacles. She also refined her musical skills by practicing cello and joining her high school’s Select Strings chamber group and the Glen Rock Pops community orchestra group.  

For the Physical Fitness program area, Ariel played on her high school volleyball team and trained to run a mile in 10 minutes.  

For the Exploration program area, Ariel planned a Girl Scout tour of Europe, including a hike in Switzerland and a visit to Buckingham Palace in London.