A Guilderland teenager with an eye for fashion and a “caring” heart is the recipient of the 2025 William Kress Memorial Humanitarian Award.
Hannah Ralston, who is graduating on June 12 from the Capital Region BOCES Global Fashion Studies program, was presented the award on June 5 during the Career and Technical Education Center – Albany Campus Awards Ceremony.
Diane Ogren, guidance secretary and mother of William Kress, said Ralston was selected because she is “a dependable, kind presence in her Global Fashion class.”
“Hannah is not your typical student—she works in a bridal shop and helps care for an elderly woman, which often leads to some touching stories. You can tell she genuinely cares about the people in her life,” Ogren said. “She also volunteered with Dress for Success, and when her Global Fashion class started making bibs for students at Maywood Academy, she asked if they could deliver them in person, because she wanted her class to see who they were helping.”
Ralston is a senior at Guilderland High School who was recently part of the Capital Region BOCES National Signing Day. She has taken the fashion skills she learned at BOCES and used them to start work at Love Story by Angela’s Bridal in Troy.
“I have enjoyed attending BOCES and being a part of so many good things,” Ralston said.
Kress is a 2015 graduate of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Tech program. The award is presented annually to a Capital Region BOCES student who is supportive to friends and acquaintances who need someone to listen to in tough times and someone who is kind and loving.