Senior Faith Banca has been honored with a Certificate of Excellence from The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and a President’s Volunteer Service Award. After applying, Becton administration nominated Faith for the national honors this fall in recognition of her passionate community service in Sing into the Sunlight, her annual suicide benefit concert.

“I am extremely humbled and honored to receive this award,” shared the reward recipient. “Although it is nice to be recognized for my hard work, I hope this award shines more of a light onto Sing into the Sunlight than it does on me, so the organization can grow and gain support.”

Certificates of Excellence are granted to the top 10 percent of all Prudential Spirit of Community Award applicants in each state and the District of Columbia for students’ exemplary volunteer service. Meanwhile, President’s Volunteer Service Awards recognize Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and their country.

Faith has consistently shown dedication to her community through her work for Sing into the Sunlight, an organization that she created with co-founder Senior Rebecca Cruz in 2012. Through her own experience with depression and anxiety, the senior discovered how serious issues like suicide and depression are often overlooked. She and Rebecca wanted to “start a project that was bigger than themselves” and decided to channel their love for music and volunteerism into the annual festival and concert, which raised approximately 5,000 dollars in 2014 alone. The organization is currently expanding under the new name Into the Sunlight, which will host additional events and programs for suicide prevention and awareness.

“Volunteering is such a prominent part of my life. Making someone smile and hearing the words ‘you’ve changed my life’ are two of the best feelings this world has to offer,” said Faith. Other volunteer activities the honor student has participated in include collecting money and creating care packages for U.S. troops and visiting Veterans’ homes through the American Legion Auxillary.

“Prudential is honored to celebrate the contributions of these remarkable young volunteers,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfield. “By shining a spotlight on the difference they’ve made in their communities, we hope others are inspired to volunteer, too.”