By Nicole Malczan

Robbinsville High School senior Matthew McMahon saw many hours of hard work and dedication pay off when he was recently awarded the U.S. Congressional Award Bronze Medal. It’s a feat that only 50 people in the state of New Jersey and five in Robbinsville’s congressional district have done, a representative of Congressman Chris Smith said.

Congress established the Congressional Award in 1979 to recognize initiative, achievement and service in young people. The program is open to people between the ages of 14-23. To win the award, a participant must set and reach goals in four program areas: volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration. An adult advisor must be selected to assist the youth in achieving goals in the four areas.

McMahon logged more than 350 hours in pursuit of the award. He spent more than 130 of those hours as a voluntary aid at the Robbinsville Public Library, where he shelved books, cleaned the library, supervised children, helped host a game day where kids were able to play board games and Nintendo Wii and also fostered in the summer reading program.

McMahon already possessed an athletic background, playing soccer and track for Robbinsville High, but he pushed himself further in these areas when he came to face the physical criteria, strengthening his skill set and abilities.

“I tried to challenge myself,” he said.

For his personal development goal, McMahon studied how to chart and play the drums. His expedition requirement held personal significance as he ventured to Italy to explore the culture and his Italian heritage. On the trip, he learned that many of his past relatives had primarily done farming work.

“It’s interesting to see that I come from that background,” he said.

Track coach Sean Fry, Italian teacher Laura Francolino, Robbinsville Library Branch Manager Ann Marie Ehrenberg and Peter Brown, a music teacher at Russo’s Music in Hamilton, provided McMahon guidance during his quest. His primary advisor for the program was Lindsay Richard, a guidance counselor at Robbinsville High School.

Richard said she met with McMahon a handful of times throughout his process to ensure that he was on track. She says that he is one of the few students she knows of to have attempted the tough rigors of winning the Congressional Award.

“This is a very time consuming project that requires commitment and dedication,” she said. “To see how much time, effort and commitment that went into completing this prestigious honor speaks to [McMahon’s] character.”

Richard described McMahon as a leader who is ambitious, independent, assertive and proactive.

McMahon said some of his greatest support came from his family, consisting of his mother Lorraine, his sister Cara—a junior at New York University who is also a graduate of Robbinsville High School—and his father Kevin.

McMahon wants to study business at a university for the next four years, and has already been accepted to the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University. His preference is to attend the University of Virginia, which is one of a slew of schools that may be in his future as he finishes out his senior year of high school.