Old Bridge High School senior Jayden Junaid was inspired by her hard-working parents who are both immigrants from Nigeria.
“She always tells the story about how hard they worked for all they have,” said Old Bridge High School Acting Principal Sally Fazio, adding it was difficult for her dad and mom to get information.
They were the inspiration and what led Junaid to work as founder and executive director of The Mirror Effects, a student-led initiative designed to expand access to legal education, mentorship, and civic participation for young people, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.
For her initiative, Junaid was awarded one of two 2026 Princeton Prizes in Race Relations for the Central and Southern New Jersey region at a ceremony in March.
The Old Bridge board of education recognized Junaid for her award at a meeting on April 21.
The Princeton Prize in Race Relations is an honor awarded to students who demonstrate leadership in advancing racial equity and understanding. Through her work at Old Bridge High School, founding the school’s first student-led initiative to expand educational access and cultural representation, leading the Afro Beats and Step Teams to celebrate culture and build community, and partnering with the Black Student Union to promote inclusive programming, Junaid exemplifies the leadership and service this award celebrates.
“We are truly proud of everything she does,” Fazio said.
Junaid was one of seven students from Central and Southern New Jersey to receive regional honors from Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She was one of two to win the top prizes.
The other top prize went to Sephorah Noisette, a resident of Freehold and a student at Howell High School. The prize recognizes her work as founder of T.A.L.E. (Teaching All Literary Equity), an inclusive, student‑led initiative that offers diverse voices from high school students reading meaningful literature to very young readers from multiple ethnicities. Noisette is also recognized for her pivotal role in a renewed collaboration among student organizations, the Equity Student Council, and her work with the administration to reform the school’s hate speech policy.
Five area high school students received Certificates of Accomplishment from the Prize Committee for noteworthy and impactful projects: Angelo Boujaoude, Moorestown High School; Ambrose Duckett, Seneca High School; Caitlyn Grimes, Lawrence High School; Barry Kearney III, Central Regional High School; and Christopher Rhatigan, Northern Burlington County Regional High School.
The awards were presented to an audience of the students, their families and project supporters, and the local Central/Southern New Jersey Princeton Prize in Race Relations Committee at a ceremony in March. Rhae Lynn Barnes, assistant professor of American Cultural History at Princeton, presented the keynote address. Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate degree from Harvard University. Among her many scholarly interests, she has published widely on topics of race and ethnicity in American culture and history.
Princeton University created the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in 2003 and awards it annually in 28 cities and regions in the U.S. (including two regions in New Jersey) to promote harmony, understanding, and respect among people of different races. The prize identifies and recognizes high school students whose efforts have had “a significant, positive effect on race relations in their schools or communities.” High-school students apply, and Princeton alumni in each locale volunteer to evaluate candidates’ projects and select those that most reflect the mission of the prize.
As the Prize winners from this region, Junaid and Noisette each received a $2,500 award and participated in the program’s national Symposium on Race at Princeton University, from March 26 to 28. At a time when the topic of race relations is dominating the national conversation, the Central and Southern New Jersey 2026 honorees have embraced difficult conversations on race and empowerment, and taken impactful action.
To learn more about the Princeton Prize program, visit https://pprize.princeton.edu, which describes the Prize and presents some of the past winning entries.
