Romanian American National Heritage Awards

8th edition, 2024

Awards up to $500

Application is Closed

The 8th edition of the prestigious Romanian-American National Heritage Awards (RANHA) took place at the residence of H.E. Andrei Muraru, Ambassador of Romania to the United States. This extraordinary event recognized the remarkable achievements of Romanian-American youth, celebrating their leadership, community service, and deep commitment to preserving their cultural roots.

Award Winners Recognized for Their Leadership and Impact

This year we had the strongest participation in the history of the awards. The Romanian American community is humbled and proud by the achievements and community involvement of young Romanian Americans. The organizing committee congratulates all the participants for the contribution to the cohesion of the Romanian American community and wishes them success in all their future endeavors.

​Congratulations to the Winners of the 8th Edition, 2024!

Emma Dram – IL – National Platinum Award – Leadership in Community Service Award
Ayden Pana - MN - National Platinum - Leadership in Creative Arts Award ​
Maxim Cupsa – NY – National Platinum Award – Advocate for Social Justice Award
Oliver Liebhaber – IL – National Platinum Award – Leadership in Cultural Understanding Award
Alexandra Lehene – IL – National Platinum Award – Leadership in Community Service Award
Alexandru Dragoi – MD – National Platinum Award – Leadership in Volunteering Award​
Sarah Emily Spiridon – NV – National Platinum Award – Outstanding Community Leadership Award
Michael Stoica - NY - National Platinum Award - Exemplary Leadership Award
​
Sinziana Lazar - IL - National Gold Award - Dedication to Romanian Language and Literature Leadership Award
Marina Diaconu - CT - National Gold Award - Future Innovator Leadership Award
Dan Haidau – IL – National Gold Award – Outstanding Team Player Leadership Award
Teodora S. Diaconu – CT – National Gold Award – Sportsmanship & Entrepreneurial Leadership Award
Sophia Manole – WA – National Gold Award – Outstanding Contributions to Social Justice Leadership Award
Maya Bacioiu – WA – National Gold Award – Future Innovator in STEM Award
David Bora - IL - National Gold Award - Critical Thinker/Analytical Leadership Award
Emma Manole – WA – National Gold Award – Excellence in Civic Engagement Leadership Award
Patrick Irimescu – WA – National Gold Award – Excellence in Fundraising Leadership Award

Julia Varlam -IL - National Silver Award - Dedication to Cross-Cultural Dialogue Leadership Award
Nicholas Moigradan – IL – National Silver Award – Future Leader in Medicine Award
Daniel Fanaru – WA – National Silver Award – Future Entrepreneur Leadership Award
David Osnaga – CT – National Silver Award – Future Leader in International Relations Award
Ana Guset – IL – National Silver Award – Distinguished Scholar in Mathematics Leadership Award
Horia Dobrean-Urzica – IL – National Silver Award – Future Leader in Engineering Award
Sophia Parizianu – FL – National Silver Award – Excellence in Music Performance Leadership Award
Irina Gut – IL – National Silver Award – Cultural Heritage Ambassador Award
Jessica David – IL – National Silver Award – Emerging Leader in Law and Justice Award
Bianca Zamfirescu – IL – National Silver Award – Sportsmanship Award ​
Alexa Zaharia – IL – National Silver Award – Excellence in Academic Achievement Leadership Award
Roxana Stanescu – WA – National Silver Award – Leadership in Technology Award
Christian Peterson – CT – National Silver Award – The Fearless Leader Award
Daniel Rimbu – MN – National Silver Award – Outstanding Role Model Leadership Award
​​
Alessandra Gavriloiu – CT – US East Coast Platinum Award – Future Diplomat Award​
Andrew Trandafirescu – NY – US East Coast Platinum Award – Future Global Leader
Mircea Butnariu – OH – US East Coast Platinum Award – Future Global Problem Solver
Crina Marina Pariza – CT – US East Coast Platinum Award – Future Global Leader in STEM Award
Gabriela Nimerencu – IL – US Central Platinum Award – Excellence in Mentoring Award
Alexis Muntean-Hapa – IL – US Central Platinum Award – Future Global Leader in Psychology Award
Christina Balan – NV – US West Coast Platinum Award – Dedication to Cross-Cultural Dialogue Award
Diana Alexandra Smarandache – TX – US Central Gold Award – Rising Star in Performing Arts Award
Dalia Moldovan – NJ – US East Coast Gold Award – Future Global Community Leader
Brandon Matei – IL – US Central Gold Award – Outstanding Youth Community Leadership Award
Andrew Zaharia – WA – US West Coast Gold Award – Future Leader in Volunteering Award
Amanda Mic – CT – US East Coast Silver Award – Excellence in Sports Management Award
Vivienne Crisan – CT – US East Coast Silver Award – Future Leader Award
Elise Aldea – WA – US West Coast Silver Award – Excellence in Fundraising Award
Emma Militaru – IL – US Central Silver Award – Future Leader Award
Delia Firtulescu – IL – US Central Silver Award – Future Influencer Award
Petru Matei Busu – IL – US Central Silver Award – Future Entrepreneur Award​
Alexis Necs – NV – US West Coast Silver Award – Future Mentor Award
Justin Luput – IL – Honorary Mention Award – Dedication to Romanian American Heritage Award
Sebastian D. Bidoae – CT – Honorary Mention Award – Dedication to Romanian American Heritage Award
Larissa Nicole Boldor – LA – Honorary Mention Award – Dedication to Romanian American Heritage Award
Rebekah Weidell – MN – Honorary Mention Award – Dedication to Romanian American Heritage Award

Organized by the American Romanian Cultural Society (ARCS), Alianta, Romanian United Fund (RUF), and RomAmPro​. Endorsed by the Federation of Romanian American Organizations (FORA) and the Embassy of Romania to the United States.

Many thanks to our 2024 partners who donated, spread the word, assisted with the logistics, and supported our participants: Romanians of DC, Together to Help, HORA, Romanul, Immigration Research Forum, ROCO Chicago, Romanian Cultural Institute, and the Romanian General Consulate in New York. Your contributions are greatly appreciated!

Source: https://www.romanianamericanheritage.us/

What is the Romanian American National Heritage Award?

The Romanian American National Heritage Award is an annual competition for high school students with Romanian heritage or background. Applicants of non-Romanian descent may qualify as long as their work and experience relate to Romania or the Romanian community in the US.

The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the cohesion of the Romanian community and the preservation of its heritage, language, culture, and traditions.

Supported by the American Romanian Cultural Society and RUF - Romanian United Foundation, ROCO Chicago, with the endorsement of the Ambasada României în Statele Unite ale Americii / Romanian Embassy to US,  and our community partners, Romanian Community Center, Romanians of DC, The Romanian Community Center RoAmPro, Federation of Romanian-American Organizations - FORA, Românul - SUA and Alianta.

Romanian American National Heritage Awards

7th edition, 2023

Awards up to $1,000

Application is Closed

We are overjoyed to announce the winners of the Romanian American National Heritage Award, 7th edition - 2023!

National Platinum Award: Victor Ene, Andrea Klein, Gabriela Pirtea, Caterina Stoica

National Gold Award:Stephanie Dragoi, Ana Girnita, Mara Haiduc, Alex Lehene, Elisa Tunaru

National Silver Award: Marina Diaconu, Gruia Radu, Daniel Rimbu, Larissa Sambotin

US Central Platinum Award: Ana Guset

US West Platinum Award: Roxana Stanescu

US East Platinum Award: Michael Stoica

US Central Gold Award: Julia Triculescu, Ayden Pana, Alexa Zaharia, Inara Zayic

US West Gold Award: Luca Barbat

US East Gold Award: Teodora Diaconu, Emma Manole, Sophia Manole, Ana Martin

US Central Silver Award: Alissia Anghel, Matei Busu, Alexandru Cernea, Emma Dram, Dan Haidau, Laura Melinciuc, Andrew Zaharia

Honorary Mention Award: Maya Alexa, David Bora, Matei Panaitisor, David Tunduc, Rebekah Weidell

Meet the Ambassador in Washington, DC

Learn more: 2022 Edition

The Romanian American National Heritage Award is an annual competition for high school students with Romanian heritage or background. Applicants of non-Romanian descent may qualify as long as their work and experience relate to Romania or the Romanian community in the US.

The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the cohesion of the Romanian community and the preservation of its heritage, language, culture, and traditions.

Granted by the American Romanian Cultural Society and Romanian United Fund, with the endorsement of the Embassy of Romania to the United States, and the support of ARCS Arizona and ARCS Detroit, and our community partners, HORA, Romanians of DC, Casa Romana, and Românul - SUA. The Award Ceremony will be hosted at the Alianța Gala on November 29th, 2023.

Recognition and Awards

All eligible participants will receive the official recognition of the Romanian Embassy in the United States, and the top winners will receive awards of up to $1,000 dollars each. 

In the past years, the award has helped the recipients distinguish themselves in their admission process to top colleges and institutions, such as Dartmouth College, Wesleyan University, Pitzer College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Whitman College, Purdue University, UW Honors, Harvard, MIT, and many others.

Congratulations to our 2022 Winners:

Timeline 

June 30th 2023 - Submission of Applications Opens

October 15th 2023 - Submission of Applications Closes

October 30th 2023 - Winners Announced 

November 29th 2023 - Award Ceremony at Alianta Gala

Eligibility:

​​Age and residence: For the 2023 edition, participants must be enrolled in High School in United States for the 2022-2023 academic year. 

Academic standing: Minimum unweighted High School GPA of 3.0 – or equivalent, running average for the last school year.

Teamwork: Both individuals and teams can participate in the competition. Participation in teams is encouraged. To encourage leadership and simplify the evaluation process, the maximum team size is 5, including the leader.

There are no Romanian or US citizenship requirements. There are no fees required, this competition is entirely free to participate for eligible students.

​Eligibility for national participants
The top 5 winners of the regional competitions advance to the national competition.

Evaluation criteria

The following criteria will be used in the evaluation process (not all criteria are required, but they will strengthen your application): 

1) Community work and leadership
The number of volunteering hours and their visible outcome and results will be a strong factor in the evaluation. Where applicable and possible, volunteering and community work in Romania (e.g. groundbreaking projects with children, youth and seniors from underprivileged social backgrounds, or religious and ethnic minorities) will receive the jury's highest consideration. Please highlight this aspect in your application. 

Please provide a detailed description of your working experience, highlighting the ways in which your activity and leadership initiatives impacted the targeted community, strengthening its civic spirit and sense of unity.

If you are looking for opportunities to do community work, and satisfy this criterion next year, signup with RUF Youth to learn about how you can get involved. The volunteering opportunities are multiple especially if you live in the greater Chicago area and can come to ROCO.

2) Essay 
Please submit a short motivational essay that will describe how your community work influenced your own personal growth and brought awarness to your bicultural and bilingual identity in the US. We strongly encourage applicants to model their essay from their college application essays, following a similar structure and attention to detail. The essay shall have no less than 200 words and no more than 650 words.

3) Recommendations from local community leaders
Your essay and recommendations (up to 2) will play an important role in the evaluation process. A formal letter is not required, a name and contact info (email and/or phone number) will be sufficient. The contest organizers will reach out to confirm the recommendations.

Romanian Heritage Connection
Applicants of any cultural background may qualify, as long as they are able to prove their interest, work experience and connection to Romania. 
Examples of such proof:

• Passing an officially recognized Romanian language test – where available
• An essay in Romanian 
• Volunteer work in Romania

Would you like to make a donation for this project? You can do so here

Romanian American National Heritage Awards

6th edition, 2022

Up to $1,000 Awards

Winners Announced

Meet the Ambassador in Washington, DC

The Romanian American National Heritage Award is an annual competition for high school students with Romanian heritage or background. Applicants of non-Romanian descent may qualify, as long as their work and experience relate to Romania or the Romanian community in the US. 

The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the cohesion of the Romanian community and the preservation of its heritage, language, culture, and traditions.

Granted by the American Romanian Cultural Society and Romanian United Fund, with the endorsement of the Embassy of Romania to the United States, and the support of ARCS Arizona and ARCS Detroit, and our community partners, HORA, Romanians of DC, Casa Romana, and Românul - SUA.

The Award Ceremony will be hosted at the Alianța Gala on November 30th, 2022. 

Please email us at [email protected] if you want to join us as a community partner.

Congratulations to the Winners of 2022 Edition

Recognition and Awards

All eligible participants will receive the official recognition of the Romanian Embassy in the United States and the top winners will receive awards of up to $1000 dollars each. 

In the past years, the award has helped the recipients distinguish themselves in their admission process to top colleges and institutions, such as Dartmouth College, Wesleyan University, Pitzer College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Whitman College, Purdue University, UW Honors, Harvard and many others. 

Timeline

June 30, 2022 - Submission of Applications Opens

October 15, 2022 - Submission of Applications Closes

October 30, 2022 - Winners Announced 

Eligibility:

​​Age and residence: For the 2022 edition, participants must be enrolled in High School in United States for the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Academic standing: Minimum unweighted High School GPA of 3.0 – or equivalent, running average for the last school year.

Team work: Both individuals and teams can participate in the competition. Participation in teams is encouraged. To encourage leadership and simplify the evaluation process, the maximum team size is 5, including the leader.

There are no Romanian or US citizenship requirements. There are no fees required, this competition is entirely free to participate for eligible students.

​Eligibility for national participants
The top 5 winners of the regional competitions advance to the national competition.

Evaluation criteria

The following criteria will be used in the evaluation process (not all criteria are required, but they will strengthen your application): 

1) Community work and leadership
The number of volunteering hours and their visible outcome and results will be a strong factor in the evaluation. Where applicable and possible, volunteering and community work in Romania (e.g. groundbreaking projects with children, youth and seniors from underprivileged social backgrounds, or religious and ethnic minorities) will receive the jury's highest consideration. Please highlight this aspect in your application. 

Please provide a detailed description of your working experience, highlighting the ways in which your activity and leadership initiatives impacted the targeted community, strengthening its civic spirit and sense of unity.

If you are looking for opportunities to do community work, and satisfy this criterion next year, signup with RUF Youth to learn about how you can get involved. The volunteering opportunities are multiple especially if you live in the greater Chicago area and can come to ROCO.

2) Essay 
Please submit a short motivational essay that will describe how your community work influenced your own personal growth and brought awarness to your bicultural and bilingual identity in the US. We strongly encourage applicants to model their essay from their college application essays, following a similar structure and attention to detail. The essay shall have no less than 200 words and no more than 650 words.

3) Recommendations from local community leaders
Your essay and recommendations (up to 2) will play an important role in the evaluation process. A formal letter is not required, a name and contact info (email and/or phone number) will be sufficient. The contest organizers will reach out to confirm the recommendations.

Romanian Heritage Connection
Applicants of any cultural background may qualify, as long as they are able to prove their interest, work experience and connection to Romania. 
Examples of such proof:

• Passing an officially recognized Romanian language test – where available
• An essay in Romanian 
• Volunteer work in Romania