Junior Achievement selects South Fayette students for '18 Under 18'

Junior Achievement selects South Fayette students for '18 Under 18'

Seniors Grace Howard and Mohammad Shedeed honored

South Fayette High School students Grace Howard and Mohammad Shedeed have been chosen as “18 Under Eighteen” honorees by Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania.

The second annual program showcases the talents and achievements of youth ages 10 to 18 across the region.

Both honorees are mental health advocates and community volunteers.

Junior Achievement of Western PA is honoring South Fayette students Grace Howard, left, and Mohammad Shedeed for their talents and accomplishments.

Howard, 18, is senior class vice president.

She is involved with the high school’s teen mental health wellness club, Stand Together, and the student government wellness committee.

Captain of the track team, she has won the WPIAL high jump championship, placing sixth overall in the state.

She is an active member of Triumph Baptist Church in the North Hills, where she leads multiple outreach efforts.

In 2020, she spearheaded Covid Love Bags, an initiative to supply care packages to senior congregation members during the pandemic lockdown.

Shedeed, 18, is co-chair of the high school’s student diversity committee SHOUT (Social Handprints Overcoming Unjust Treatment).

As a child of first-generation immigrants from the Middle East, he works to end the stigma surrounding mental health for immigrants of Middle Eastern origin.

He is a member of the Pennsylvania Youth Advocacy Network, where he helped write a proclamation recognizing Teen Mental Health Day.

He also works with Work2BeWell, an organization aiming to destigmatize mental health and promote mental health resources. He created a podcast series called Talk2Be that discusses mental health topics for teens.

Junior Achievement of Western PA is a nonprofit based in South Fayette Township.

“These outstanding kids represent both the best of the next generation and the good that exists in the world,” organization president Patrice Matamoros said.

Junior Achievement is featuring the students on billboards throughout the Pittsburgh area and recognizing them during a ceremony at the UPMC Club at Acrisure Stadium in February.

—Andrea Iglar