Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly honored Miss Long Island 2019 Michelle Pierrot at the May 14 General Meeting of the Legislature for her work as the founder of Healthy Excited Youth! (“HEY!”), a nonprofit which aims to “enlighten and guide students as they strive for their future success.” In addition to being crowned Miss Long Island 2019 by Long Island Pageants, the Melville Half Hollow Hills High School East graduate from Melville received the Pageant Leader of Tomorrow Award.
Founded by Ms. Pierrot in 2016 and operating out of both Washington D.C. and New York, “HEY!” creates and implements individualized programs for partner schools, all incorporating five key components: health education, nutrition/exercise, mentoring, stigma elimination and community service. Mentors and volunteers create comfortable spaces that encourage the sharing of ideas, asking of questions and expressing concerns without fear of judgment. Curriculums are tailored to the individual schools, including working with special needs populations. Coordinated educational plans ensure the cohesive dissemination of information for the students, enabling them to gain a deeper insight into their health and wellness while exploring possibilities for their own growth
Ms. Pierrot, a graduate of the George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, also works as a nursing assistant in the pediatric oncology department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in pursuit of becoming a pediatric nurse practitioner.
“After getting to know Ms. Pierrot and learning about all of the tremendous work she has done as the founder of HEY!, it is no surprise that she was selected as Miss Long Island 2019,” said Legislator Donnelly “I applaud her efforts to engage our youth and I look forward to working with her in the future.”
For more information on “HEY!”, a 501 (c) (3), go to www.healthyexcitedyouth.org.