Shaniyah J. White (born May 13, 2002) is a youth entrepreneur, philanthropist, motivational speaker, certified figure skating coach and Learn To Skate USA instructor. Shaniyah is the founder and chief executive officer of Born To Rise Foundation, Inc., founded when she was a junior in high school. She is also the founder, chief executive officer and chairwoman of Shavonne LaBre, L.L.C., a hand-made jewelry company she founded when she was in the second grade. Shaniyah is passionate about community service. Shaniyah has served as a motivational speaker at various venues designed to empower, enlighten, and encourage youth and regularly organizes fundraisers, exciting community-building programs and events, and in-depth training sessions for youth. Speaking engagements have included Rutgers Business School in Newark, New Jersey, County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, and Cicely Tyson School of Performing & Fine Arts in East Orange, New Jersey.
The Essex County Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey is Shaniyah’s home rink. Shaniyah has been an Essex County resident for over 18 years. Her first experience on the ice was a lesson with Figure Skating Coach Lisa Kops at the Essex County Codey Arena (then named Richard J. Codey Arena) 17 years ago in 2003. Shaniyah began training at the Arena at the age of 8 and began private lessons at the Arena. Shaniyah’s first skating coach was national and international coach Neil Rubin and her second coach is two-time Olympian and world medalist JoJo Starbuck, who she still trains with today. Shaniyah is also trained in Ballet and has a Ballet On Ice off-ice and on-ice training program for skaters ages 3 through adult.
Shaniyah is an active full member of the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) and the Professional Skaters Association (PSA). She holds the Professional Skaters Association Basic Accreditation Rating, maintain Coach Compliance in accordance to USFSA and PSA rules, and meet all the requirements as a Certified Coach. Shaniyah has been teaching ice skating for over two years. Shaniyah teaches synchronized skating and has been teaching for the Synchroettes Syncronized Skating Teams at the Essex County Codey Arena since September 2019. As a popular figure skating coach at the Essex County Codey Arena, Shaniyah currently has over 50 students on her roster and provides private coaching and group lessons to skaters of all ages. She teaches basic through progressive skating techniques to children and adults, including children and adults with special needs. Shaniyah is a volunteer coach for the Essex Special Skaters charity program that helps special needs athletes of all ages master the sport of ice skating and is actively involved with Special Olympics events.
As an active leader in the community, Shaniyah continuously seek ways to serve and improve the community. In 2018, Shaniyah organized a fundraiser to benefit The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey. She partnered with James Howard, owner of the Cosy Cupboard Tea Room, to host a Recovery Tea Fundraiser to support The Burn Center's mission of offering specialty care and implementing community fire prevention and burn safety programs. As the result of the Recovery Tea Fundraiser event, a bake sale, and monetary gifts from donors which include the East Orange Fire Department and Orange Fire Department, Shaniyah raised $1,500.00 for The Burn Center. In 2019, Shaniyah was featured in the newspaper as a result of a fundraiser that she hosted to raise funds for her hometown’s Senior, Youth and Leisure Services (SYLS) department for senior programming in Livingston, New Jersey. See the following link:
NEW! Free Youth Figure Skating Classes | Day 2
In an effort to bring in more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport of figure skating, Certified Figure Skating Coach and Learn To Skate USA Instructor Shaniyah J. White provides free skating lessons to youth that she organized through her community-based nonprofit organization, BORN TO RISE FOUNDATION, INC. At age 16, Shaniyah founded the organization with the mission to provide mentorship to youth which focuses on building self-empowerment and leadership skills while helping them launch their passion and purpose into the world. We have no paid staff and run entirely by volunteers.
Training focuses on building and developing a set of skills that are designed for the skaters to optimize their potential on and off the ice. The classes are held at the Essex County Codey Arena located at 560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052. The classes for the learn to skate initiative began on September 17, 2020. The classes are currently offered twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. Classes are expected to run through the summer (session times may vary each season).
We serve a diverse group of skaters from ages 4 through adult who come from various backgrounds and ethnicities. The skaters we serve reside in the northern New Jersey tri-state area.
Among the skaters who participated in our weekly Fall “A” classes on Thursdays and Sundays (September 17, 2020 to October 29, 2020), 46.0 percent (as of October 4, 2020) reside in Livingston, New Jersey, one of the state's highest-income communities. Of the 46.0 percent, 32.0 percent are black, 8.0 percent are Asian, and 4.0 percent are white. The skaters are residents of Livingston, Short Hills, South Orange, West Orange, East Orange, Orange, Montclair, Newark, and Bernardsville. With the exception of Somerset County (Bernardsville), all of the skaters are Essex County residents.
Among the skaters who have participated in our free skating programs since its inception September 17, 2020, 100.0 percent (as of November 6, 2020) reside in the northern New Jersey tri-state area. Of the skaters, 44.7 percent are black, 31.6 are Hispanic/Latino, 10.5 percent are Asian, 7.9 percent are Indian, and 5.3 percent are white. The skaters (excluding out-of-state residents) reside in the following counties: Essex County (Livingston, Short Hills, South Orange, West Orange, East Orange, Orange, Montclair, Newark), Union County (Summit), Hudson County (Kearny), Bergen County (Rutherford), and Somerset County (Bernardsville).
The programs are offered to skaters ages 4 through adult. Our mission is to create and cultivate artistic and synchronized skating that exemplifies diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport of figure skating, preparing skaters to enter a variety of disciplines.
Training sessions are designed to be both fun and enriching. We use a holistic approach for instruction that provides skaters with a solid foundation on which to build their skills in order to instill discipline, courage, perseverance, and resilience in their overall development. Sessions also focus on building a strong foundation that promote positive social skills, develop leadership, inspire greater self-confidence, and instill a lifelong love of skating. For more information, please email us at: info@borntorisefoundation.org.
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