Greenwich Student Excels At Art, Giving Back To Her Community

GREENWICH, CT — Connecticut is full of bright, driven young people making a difference in and out of the classroom. That’s why Patch and T-Mobile have teamed up to spotlight students excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

This submission comes from Jen Morris, who nominated Layla of Connecticut.

If you know a student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured as a Star Student on Patch.

What is the star student’s name?

Layla

What grade is the student in?

11th

How do you know the star student?

Daughter

Tell us about your star student's accomplishments and why they deserve to be recognized on Patch!

Layla has recieved numerous awards for her art including the 2024 Gold Key Scholastic Art Awards, honorable mention from Jim Himes for the Congressional art competition, recognition for the Greenwich Public School Art show in 2024 and 2025 and was featured on the front page of one of the local papers for her three pieces that were in the show.

Layla’s artwork was also featured in Greenwitch Literary Magazine, which is a Greenwich High School Publication. Layla also created the Cardinal logo for the Greenwich High School Golf team. Layla is a member of the Portrait Club at GHS, where she creates portraits of less fortunate young children from Malawi in Africa and sends them as a gift.

Academically, Layla has been on the honor roll and high honor roll for her entire career at GHS. Layla is also a part of the Spanish Honor Society as well as the English Honor Society and is currently waiting on her acceptance to the National Honor Society.

Layla is on the varsity rowing team for Connecticut Boat Club since her freshman year and has competed and placed in many regattas.

Layla has been active in community service locally and abroad. In 2023 and 2024 Layla participated in Names Day which is an anti-bullying organization. She helped facilitate classroom activities for freshmen as a leader and also spoke out on a panel in front of an audience of approximately 800 people. In 2024 Layla travelled to Costa Rica and worked with several different agencies. She first worked with the Animal Rescue Center located in the Central Valley, thoroughly cleaning animal habitats, designing and implementing enrichment toys to engage the animals, preparing their nutritious meals, and diligently working through a comprehensive to-do list to ensure the animals’ well being in the sanctuary. Next, she worked with Siempre Amigos, an NGO partner organization that focuses on social responsibility with the mission to assist low-income families in the rural areas of Guanacaste, specifically in the improvement of living conditions. Layla contributed to several community improvement projects, including helping mix and pour concrete for flooring, and refurbishing two homes for local community members. Layla finally worked with Somos Picnic, seeking to promote the relationship between individuals and the collective communities that they live in. Layla helped with restoring a home in a vulnerable neighborhood by sanding, cleaning, and painting both the interior and exterior of the house. She also helped construct a water drainage system for the family. Lastly, she engaged with students at nearby schools in various activities such as sports, art, and even teaching English. In Layla’s high school, she is also a mentor for a native Spanish 3 class and helps Spanish-speaking students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. In Layla’s little time off, she works at a local fitness studio in Greenwich.

What three words best describe your star student?

Ambitious, creative and empathetic.

Keep up the great work, Layla. If you know an outstanding student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured on Patch.

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