Senate Resolution No. 1464

BY: Senator BRESLIN

HONORING Anthony Amato upon the occasion of his
designation as recipient of the 2016 Hispanic
Heritage Foundation National Youth Award

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those young people within the great Empire State who have
made strong contributions to their communities and who serve as role
models for their peers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Anthony Amato upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the
2016 Hispanic Heritage Foundation National Youth Award; and

WHEREAS, A senior at Bethlehem Central High School, Anthony Amato is
one of only eight high school seniors to win this prestigious award; the
national winners were selected from hundreds of regional awardees and
approximately 20,000 applicants nationwide; and

WHEREAS, Each student received grant money for his or her education,
a project or idea; these exceptional young people also gained entry into
Latinos on Fast Track (LOFT), a fraternal organization which partners
with the Hispanic College Fund to prepare and position emerging Latino
professionals; and

WHEREAS, LOFT connects thousands of regional and national Youth
Award winners with guides, resources, fellow members and professionals;
included among the more than 30 training programs, workshops and
informal panels held annually, are the LOFT Coding Jam Session, in which
minority youth are bilingually taught how to use HTML and CSS coding,
and the LOFT Video Game Innovational Fellowship, wherein 25 LOFT fellows
aged 15 to 25 are challenged to create and develop a video game
addressing a social issue; the final product is then presented to the
White House and to the United States Congress; and

WHEREAS, The National Youth Awards celebrate Latino high school
students who excel in the classroom and community, and for their
achievements in one of the following categories: Education, Healthcare
and Science, Community Service, Mathematical Sciences, Innovation and
Technology, Engineering, Media and Entertainment, and Business and
Entrepreneurship; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Amato, who runs his own business connecting
freelance graphic designers with businesses looking to hire, won the
Business and Entrepreneurship award; and

WHEREAS, Anthony Amato taught himself product advertisement and web
management and design; with this knowledge in hand, he created an
affiliate website while still in middle school; even then, he had
instinctual, savvy and clever approaches, such as offering customers
exclusive bonus offers, to get commission revenue through his site; and

WHEREAS, During his junior year in high school, Anthony Amato
launched his very own online freelance agency, New York DesignScapes,
which offers graphic design services; currently, he works as Chief
Manager of his agency where he has other freelancers working under him;
he also manages the agency's finances and also works establishing all
customer communications; and

WHEREAS, A young man of many talents and interests, Anthony Amato is
an accomplished ballet dancer and soloist for the Albany Berkshire
Ballet's production of The Nutcracker and a violinist in the school
orchestra; he is also a photographer and cinematographer, as well as a
Teen Ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House and volunteer at the
Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, where he helps to create and maintain
trails in their preserves; and

WHEREAS, With his sense of civic duty and his commitment to others,
Anthony Amato represents the best development of the potential which is
inherent in our most precious resource, our youth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Anthony Amato upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of
the 2016 Hispanic Heritage Foundation National Youth Award; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Anthony Amato.