Inspiring Teen From West Orange Earns Spot In Scholar Society

WEST ORANGE, NJ — There are many ways that West Orange resident Anya Dillard can describe herself: activist, philanthropist, social entrepreneur, content creator. But now, the 19-year-old can add another title to the list – NationalSociety of Collegiate Scholar.

Dillard recently accepted an invitation of lifetime membership in the NationalSociety of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), an honor society for high-achieving, first- and second-year college students with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

The group invites less than 10 percent of all eligible students nationwide to join its ranks each year. Notable distinguished honorary members include former president Jimmy Carter, U.S. ambassador Robin Renee Sanders, the late Sen. John McCain and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala.

According to NSCS, here’s why Dillard made the cut:

“Anya Dillard is a 19-year-old activist, philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and content creator. She is also the founder of The Next Gen Come Up, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that encourages youth to pursue activism, get involved in community service, organize amongst their peers, and raise awareness through creating thought-provoking works of art.”

Dillard graduated from West Orange High School with honors in 2021. She is a rising sophomore at Rutgers University-Newark, who is double-majoring in journalism and video production, with a minor in social justice. She is also a member of the Honors College and Rutgers Newark's innovative Honors Living-Learning Community, a competitive specialty honors program geared toward shaping students with social justice focuses into "true changemakers."

Dillard first became interested in charity and social justice work when she was a child, the NSCS said:

“Though Anya has been a socio-political changemaker since she was 12, she started her very first charity initiative when she was just 5-years-old and has since helped to organize countless protests and initiatives advocating for climate change awareness, raising awareness for period poverty, demanding justice for victims of gun violence, and fighting against police brutality. In her community, Anya is best known for contributing to the largest civil rights demonstration in her town’s history (garnering an audience of over 3,000 people), delivering a speech that received over 26,000 views via social media, helping to organize her town’s first-ever Juneteenth celebration, and being elected president of the first all-female, all-POC student council cabinet in West Orange High School’s history.”

The world has been taking note of Dillard’s rising star, the NSCS added:

“As a result of her many accomplishments and extensive advocacy work, Anya has been featured by countless networks and media publications including The Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Red Table Talk, REVOLT, Elle, Seventeen, and Glamour Magazines. She has been honored with countless awards including the McDonald’s Future 22, Ulta Beauty’s Muse 100 award, the Conversationalist Human Rights Award, and the 2021 New Jersey Association of Student Councils’ Student Leader of the Year Award to name a few.”

Ultimately, the West Orange resident hopes to leave behind a legacy as a “creative change agent” by using her visionary mindset to heighten the prevalence of empowering characters of color in film, television and media.

“NSCS members’ deep commitment to service, integrity, and scholarship positively impact their campuses and local communities every day,” executive director Scott Mobley said.

“We welcome Anya J. Dillard to our community of like-minded, high-achieving nationwide scholars,” Mobley added.

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