Living the Message
Honoring those who show Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love
Respect
Dignity
Nya O’Neal is ready for her sophomore year at
McKeesport Area High School.
“When you’re in middle school, it’s easy to catch up if you miss
something,” Nya said. “In high school, I learned quickly that if you
miss a day, it’s harder. There’s a lot you have to stay focused on.”
Nya divides her time between her studies and the high
school choir, as well as choir and mime groups at St. Paul AME in
McKeesport and Brown Chapel AME in Pittsburgh’s North Side.
She studies hard and rehearses often, and for Nya and her closest
friends, that extra effort is worth it.
“I surround myself with people who are on the same page. We
are focused on success, and we talk about that,” she said. “We feel
that we can succeed through networking, trying new things, and
taking chances.”
Nya respects her community, and she isn’t afraid to try her best
at something new to help it grow.
During her freshman year, she enrolled in McKeesport’s
YouthCAST Leadership Network, a youth-driven program that
focuses on social and educational development. The organization
is providing Nya with community service experience as well as
insight into media fields she is considering for her future.
She participates in the Tube City Writers program through
Point Park University’s McKeesport Media Oasis. The first group
assignment was to share three selections for peer critiquing.
“Sharing can bring hope to our lives,” Nya said. “Some people
might not know what to do outside of McKeesport or what they
can accomplish right here in their home town. We have a chance
to reach out and inspire people in the community and make it
grow more.”
Living the Message
The McKeesport Message Committee, a subgroup of McKeesport Mayor Michael
Cherepko’s Select Committee on Crime and Violence, invites the public to nominate
community members who exemplify the words, “Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love.”
26
MCKEESPORT AREA
Danielle List, an incoming senior at McKeesport Area
High School, is giving back to the special needs community
that has supported her development since her early childhood
diagnosis with a Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation (CDG). CDG
covers a range of rare genetic, metabolic disorders that can affect
any part of the body, and there is nearly always a neurological
component.
Danielle and her family developed the Dee-Termination
Scholarship to give back to the special needs community that
has supported Danielle in her diagnosis. The scholarship is open
to any McKeesport Area High School senior pursuing post-
secondary education at a university, college, or trade school, and
has ties to the special needs community, whether it be through
his or her own diagnosis, a sibling’s diagnosis, or volunteer work
with special needs organizations.
“It makes me feel good inside because I’m helping other
people,” Danielle said.
Danielle has worked with a plethora of organizations over the
last 18 years, including the Variety Children’s Charity and Special
Olympics, helping to raise awareness and funds to improve the
lives of individuals with special needs. She started Team Dee-
Termination for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge event, and her
family hosts a Dee’z Wheelz bicycle ride at the Bud Harris Cycling
Track in Highland Park.
In the Special Olympics Danielle takes part in bowling,
swimming, and track and field. In school, she has participated
in everything from volleyball, swimming, and cheerleading to
serving as a childcare aide in the Tiger Tots preschool classroom
at the high school.
After her senior year, Danielle plans to attend Duquesne
University through the St. Anthony School Program for core
studies, independent living, and exposure to various fields of
employment.
McKeesporters of all ages – from youth volunteers to senior citizens – display
characteristics of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love on a daily basis in our community.
Whether through organizing community activities or offering a helping hand to
those in need, everyday people are doing their part to make our city a better place. If
we look within our schools, our neighborhoods, our churches and our service