Honoring Leadership: Our 2025 Jim Parke Award Winners

Each year, the Jim Parke Constructive Leadership Award honors buildOn students who embody empathy, courage, resilience, passion for the possible, and solidarity, values championed by early buildOn supporter and longtime board member Jim Parke, affectionately known as the “Godfather of buildOn.” Parke, former CFO of GE Capital, believed deeply in young people and their capacity to transform their communities through service. This award recognizes students who carry that legacy forward.

This year, two extraordinary young women—Ashley Joran Cabrera from the Bronx and Simone Sumpter from Detroit—have been named our 2025 Jim Parke Award winners.

We begin with Ashley’s own words, shared onstage at the buildOn Gala in Manhattan in November.

Ashley Joran Cabrera: “We Are More Than Students. We Are Leaders.”

Gotham Collaborative High School, Bronx
2025 Jim Parke Constructive Leadership Award Winner

Ashley’s journey with buildOn began after years of feeling like she never quite belonged. She moved often, changed schools often, and carried the weight of starting over again and again. When she moved back to the U.S. at age 13, she feared she’d be alone.

Then she found buildOn.

In her Gala speech, Ashley shared how service transformed her life:

“At first, I thought buildOn was just a community service club. But it is so much more than that. buildOn gave me a community. It gave me friends. It gave me people who believed in me.”

Her service at Part of the Solution in the Bronx changed her understanding of need and ignited her passion for fighting food insecurity:

“I’ll never forget the day a mom and her little daughter came in. It broke my heart to see a child in that situation. Afterward, I kept thinking: What happens tomorrow? Who helps them then? No child should have to worry about their next meal.”

Ashley spoke about compassion, courage, and the ripple effect of kindness:

“Each morning you have a choice. You can make people feel worse or you can make a positive impact on someone’s life. The fact that I get to be that person for someone else, even just for a moment, is really important to me.”

She also reflected on her Trek to Nepal, where she saw a community that shared everything, even breast milk when a mother wasn’t nearby:

“It showed me that the most powerful thing you can have is not money. It’s each other.”

Ashley closed with a message that embodies the heart of buildOn:

“When you support buildOn, you’re supporting students like me: Students who want to change the world by spreading kindness, unity, and hope. We are more than students. We are leaders. We are community. And together, we are buildOn.”

Her courage, empathy, and unwavering consistency earned her this national recognition.

Simone Sumpter: A Leader Who Welcomes Others In

Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, Detroit
2025 Jim Parke Constructive Leadership Award Winner

If Ashley’s story is one of finding community, Simone’s is one of creating it.

Simone is known across Detroit for her warmth, creativity, and leadership. She shows up not only to serve, but to make sure others feel confident enough to join in. Whether she’s leading environmental projects, designing superhero masks for local children, or welcoming first-time volunteers who feel unsure of themselves, Simone makes service accessible and joyful.

Rosann Jager, our Executive Director in Detroit, shares:

“She brings people in. She welcomes them.  She represents buildOn in the community and brings more opportunities.  She also lends her creative talents to ensure our projects are next level!”

At a tree-planting event that brought together nearly 100 volunteers, Simone stood in front of the group and spoke about environmental stewardship and community care. She is only in the 11th grade, but she leads with poise and purpose well beyond her years.

Her consistency, creativity, and genuine care for others make her an inspiring ambassador for buildOn’s mission and a deserving Jim Parke Award winner.

Celebrating Our 2025 Runner-Up Nominees

This year’s runner-up nominees represent the power of service in every buildOn city. Each one demonstrates leadership grounded in empathy, resilience, and solidarity.

Trevon Husbands: BASE, Bronx

Trevon is a natural connector and motivator. He recruited nearly 30 students to buildOn’s first Saturday service of the year and led the entire project with confidence and kindness. He uplifts classmates, supports fasting students during Ramadan, and dreams of becoming a social worker to give back to his community.

Katherine Rodriguez: Warren Harding High School, Bridgeport

Katherine arrived in Bridgeport homesick and knowing no one, but she quickly became a leader at her school. She is the first co-president of the buildOn Leadership Council at Harding and secured the first-ever paid student roles with key community partners. She leads with empathy, often paying for peers’ transportation and ensuring no one goes without a meal.

Giovanny Reyes: Benito Juarez Community Academy, Chicago

Giovanny is the heart of our Chicago program. Despite living with epilepsy, he shows up consistently, leads service projects, welcomes newcomers, and helps translate for community members. His instinctive empathy turns challenges into meaningful moments of impact, like when he spearheaded meal delivery to unhoused neighbors at a nearby library.

Camila Alvarez: Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH), Boston

Camila’s leadership is grounded in quiet strength and unwavering commitment. She has been a dedicated volunteer since freshman year, a National Honor Society student, and a model of resilience. She champions buildOn’s mission by recruiting new members and leading student-driven projects with humility and heart throughout Boston.

Honoring Jim Parke’s Legacy

Jim Parke believed in the limitless potential of young people. The students honored this year carry his legacy forward, not only through their service hours, but through the compassion, courage, and solidarity they show every day.

Ashley, Simone, and our inspiring nominees remind us what leadership looks like when it’s rooted in community.

They remind us what is possible. And they remind us why we do the work that we do.

Want to help support our U.S. programs and help future leaders find their voices? Consider making a tax-deductible donation today.