Newtown High School Student Nominated For 'Heart Of A Giant' Award

NEWTOWN, CT — A Newtown High School student has been nominated for USA Football’s Heart of a Giant Award, presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery and the New York Giants.

Jen Socci, the Newtown High School football team manager, was nominated for the award by her coaches for her commitment, teamwork, will, character, and dedication, according to the program's website.

The coaches' praise for Socci's contributions to the Nighthawks' football program was high:

"Jen is incredible as our team manager, providing enthusiastic support for the betterment of our team. She never takes a day off and is an extension of us as coaches. She films practices, does a mini mic series, creates our graphics, runs our social media, and fills water for the boys during practices and games. The daughter of a well-known, long time Connecticut high school football coach, Lou Socci, Jen knows what it takes to run a successful program and how every role matters. Jen faced adversity at a young age when her sister died of brain cancer in 2020. He also has a twin brother who has special needs. An excellent student athlete, Jen is committed to playing division one lacrosse at Central Connecticut State University."

The voting period for Week 4 nominees is open until Oct. 13. The final vote tally determines who will be named the weekly group’s finalist. At the end of the 6-week voting process, six finalists and five others based on work ethic and character will be named, for a total of 11 finalist honorees. Each finalist will receive $1,000 grant for their high school’s football program, with the grand prize winner’s school getting an additional $9,000 equipment grant. The grand prize winner and his coach will be honored on the field at a future New York Giants game this season. The grand prize winner will be selected based on video submissions stating why they have the Heart of a Giant.

More information on the program is online here.