HARRISON —
Harrison High 2015 alumna Jia Wen (Karen) Zheng, class valedictorian, rose to the challenge last year when she was asked to actualize an idea brought forward by Councilman Anselmo Millan — design a new logo for the official town seal to be unveiled with Harrison’s celebration of its 175th anniversary.
Millan came up with the concept of incorporating into that design, a combination of the town’s industrial past, when it was known as the “Beehive of Industry,” and its future, in terms of all the waterfront development activity that has been taking place in recent years.
Karen, already an active high schooler with the National Honor Society, Student Council, Environmental Club, Concert/Marching Band, Debate Club and Cross-Country, enrolled in a college-bound program known as N.J. LEEP (Law Education & Empowerment Project).
Yet, even with all these responsibilities, Karen still managed to carve out time in her senior year for the seal project.
“I feel honored,” said Karen, “because I never thought that I would ever create a seal. At first, I was conflicted because I moved to Harrison in seventh-grade and knew very little about the town’s history. After I accepted the offer, I began to research Harrison’s history and imagined the perfect seal. Now, seeing what I created hanging around town is so surreal and humbling it’s quite a privilege.”
But none of this would have happened without the vision of Councilman Millan, who also paved the way for the town’s anniversary as chairman of the Harrison Fest Committee, conducting fundraising activities including applying his own money, and organizing the entire event.
