Nashua Teen Honored With National Award

NASHUA, NH — A Nashua South High School student received a national award this month for her outstanding record of leadership with Nashua PAL (Police Athletic League).

Junely Grullon, 16, was honored on June 3 at the National PAL Gala in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the 2022 Female Inspirational Youth of the Year award. Nominations came from across the U.S., but Grullon's work with Nashua PAL stood out from the rest.

Nashua PAL was founded in 1989 to build positive relationships between Nashua children and police officers through sports and other activities. Today, the organization offers educational programs that help kids build valuable life skills, from gardening to managing finances, and serves more than 2,000 children and teens in Greater Nashua.

Grullon joined the Nashua PAL Youth Safe Haven, a free after school and summer program, when she was 9 years old. She received the local PAL of the Year award in 2016 at age 10, and again in 2021 at age 16. She's now a rising junior at Nashua South High School and co-leads PAL's teen mentoring programming.

"Whether caring for her community as a physician or advocating for her community as an attorney, Nashua PAL's Development Director Jen Miller said of Grullon's future aspirations, "Junely's beautiful spirit and sharp mind will make her a phenomenal community leader."