Student wins Astoria Federal teen photo contest

Clarke Middle School student James Giella was named one of 12 award winners in Astoria Federal’s annual Teen Photo Contest in May. He was selected for his photo taken of his sister running with her dog on a suburban sidewalk, which aptly represented this year’s theme, “People and Their Pets.”

Close to 900 entries were received from teens in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester, who entered either independently or through their school art programs. “This year’s contest was so well received,” said Astoria Federal Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing Brian Edwards. “We were impressed by the teens’ technical skills and originality, and enjoyed seeing the unique approaches they took in portraying the theme. Their creativity really came through!”

The annual contest is one of the many ways Astoria Federal is committed to its Education First initiative to promote lifelong learning in the communities it serves. “Whether we are helping youngsters develop financial literacy or fostering teenagers’ creative expression, we actively support education at every age level,” Edwards said.