Clean Water Action to honor Malden students at 2025 celebration

Special to The Advocate

Four Malden High School students will be honored with Clean Water Action’s 2025 Youth Leadership Award at the organization’s annual celebration on June 12. Noha Ahmed, Delina Yohannes, Melinna Enamorado and Olivia Yang, all alumni of Clean Water’s Youth Action Collaborative, are being recognized for efforts in mobilizing their peers and their community for environmental justice. The event — “The Fun is in the Fight!” — will be held at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham.

“These young organizers didn’t just read about community organizing — they walked the walk. From meeting with elected leaders to rallying at the State House, they show up and inspire the people around them to shake off their apathy and get to work for a healthier environment,” said Clean Water Action Massachusetts Co-Director Elizabeth Saunders. “I am so excited to honor them alongside other Massachusetts movement leaders and grassroots advocates.”

The organization’s other 2025 awardees are as follows:

• Environmental Justice Leadership Award — María Belén Power: the Commonwealth’s first Undersecretary of Environmental Justice.
• John O’Connor Grassroots Leadership Award — Barbara Espinosa Barrera: the Environmental Justice and Health Equity Organizer at GreenRoots in Chelsea.
• John O’Connor Award for Canvassing — Sarah Etling: Etting is not only the most successful canvasser calling Clean Water Action’s Massachusetts members – she also trains new staff in effective grassroots organizing and communication.
• Clean Water Champion — Mujeres Victoriosas & Community Economic Development Center: They are both leading community organizations in New Bedford and are recognized for their collaborative, multilingual outreach efforts to help people in underserved neighborhoods access Mass Save^® programs providing energy efficiency improvements.

For more information about the event, including tickets and sponsorships, please visit cleanwater.org/ma-spring.