New London — Two Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication students have been chosen to speak about the immigration project they worked on last year during the 2018 EL Education National Conference in Philadelphia on Nov. 9.

The project — in which students wrote stories, took photos, shot videos and designed websites about 16 local immigrants for a traveling exhibit and a book — got a $5,000 award from EL Education, an organization that “challenges students to think critically and take active roles in their classrooms and communities.”

Shem Adams and Yainaliz Lopez are the seventh-graders who will deliver the five-minute speech they wrote to an audience of about 1,500.

Social studies teacher Mike Kuczenski said it was hard to pick two students from the about 90 who participated in last year’s project.

Kuczenski said teachers chose Adams and Lopez because they represented the diverse student body, could relate to the immigrants they interviewed and were good public speakers.

Both practiced their speech for the final time in front of a large audience during the school’s monthly community meeting Friday, attended by state Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, and state Rep. Chris Soto, D-New London.

Lopez, born in Puerto Rico, said she didn’t know what stereotypes were before the project, but had experienced them when people acted like they couldn’t understand her mother’s English "even though we both knew she was saying the words clearly."

Adams talked about how his family courageously came from the Philippines, and how that helped him understand the immigrants he spoke with during last year’s project.

Both said they found themselves voluntarily discussing the project with classmates last year but didn’t understand the impact it would have.

The project, called “Community Faces” has gotten state and national recognition. Proceeds from the book have gone to the New London-based Immigration and Advocacy Support Center, a nonprofit that helps people get U.S. citizenship. As of September, the group had given free consultations to more than 500 individuals and families.

“I now see how important it is to become smarter and do something more with learning,” Adams said to applause from his peers.

Soto, who met with both students after the meeting, said the project highlights ISAAC’s commitment to turn students into leaders with good communication skills.

He said the project also shows New London “doubling down on our commitment to the immigrant community” by making sure people feel comfortable where they live.

“There are great things happening in New London,” Soto said. “This is just another reflection of us jumping in the ring with a bigger opponent, a bigger challenge, and punching above our weight.”

l.boyle@theday.com