Portsmouth Abbey Student Receives RI General Treasurer's Young Leader Award

Fifth Former Joe Yates was recently awarded the Rhode Island General Treasurer's Young Leader Award, given to high school juniors from across the state for their interest in entrepreneurship and outstanding achievement in math, economics and business-related classes.  Joe was one of 33 Rhode Island students so recognized. 

An Eagle Scout, Joe was honored for a project he will undertake this summer in South Africa, working with Kestrel Wind Turbines, which sells small wind turbines around the world and is the leading manufacturer of small wind turbines in South Africa. Joe will help install a wind turbine at a preschool and daycare center in the Addo Township, located near Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape. He will also work on renovations and teach students at a local middle school, the Vusumzi School.  That part of his project is being coordinated by Universal Promise, an American non-profit that provides educational and career resources for individuals living in impoverished areas.

Joe was awarded a Haney Fellowship for the three-week trip to South Africa. He will leave in mid-August.

Of the South African project, Joe said, "The turbine will be a huge step forward for the local school, as it will give the school access to things we ordinarily take for granted in our homes, such as electric lighting, cooling, and cooking. I hope that it will become a source of pride for the community as well as a resource that will be of great use to the people there. I'm very excited for the project and would love to see more turbines follow, just as the use of wind turbines has expanded here in the Narragansett Bay area following the initial installation of the turbine here on our own campus."

R.I. State Treasurer Gina Rimondo said of  Joe and the other winners of the Young Leader Award, "It was an honor to be with so many talented students and to encourage them to be  successful and innovative later on in their careers.  I enjoyed hearing from these energetic young Rhode Islanders."

Congratulations, Joe!

Learn more about Joe's Haney Fellowship in South Africa.