"I haven't gotten an award since I was in grade school kind of a shock," Lamont, a New Britain resident, said. "But it's a nice one."

But Tuesday, Lamont became one of nine recipients of the seventh annual Youth Spirit Awards, sponsored by Connecticut Voices for Children and several other child service and state agencies. She was honored for her achievements over the last year and a half, which have included earning her GED, recovering from substance abuse and reconciling with her parents. Lamont hopes to attend Central Connecticut State University to work toward her new goal - becoming a Department of Children and Families counselor.

"I always felt like I was at the bottom, always trying to get up to the top," Lamont said. "I hope to catch it early enough where some kids wouldn't have to go through everything I went through."

Like Lamont, each recipient was honored for resilience in facing obstacles ranging from illness to years spent in foster care. About 100 parents, teachers, social workers and state and city officials listened Tuesday afternoon as award winners offered opinions about challenges facing young people, and what parents and government officials should do to help.

Tinikia Cooke, 17, a New Haven resident who grew up in foster homes and is now helping raise her younger siblings while working and attending school, said providing more educational programs would give students alternatives to drugs, sex and vandalism.

Nick Springer, 22, of Stamford, shared Cooke's suggestion of more activities, and said youth programs should be staffed by 18- to 24-year-olds who could relate better to young people. Springer, who overcame substance abuse and family problems and now helps his sister raise her five children, won praise from other speakers, including Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, because he recently donated a kidney to a friend.

Constance Leslie, 17, of Hartford, said city school budget cuts had led to the elimination of important classes, making city schools inferior to those in the suburbs. Leslie, a Bulkeley High School junior, grew up shuffled between households and spent time in a homeless shelter. She now cares for her mother, who is HIV-positive, and works with learning-disabled children.

Tieanna Webb of Stratford added that abstinence-only programs leave students without proper understanding about sex and potential diseases, and said sex educators often do not seem comfortable discussing sex with students. Webb has lupus, an autoimmune disease, but continues to teach dance and tutor through AmeriCorps.

Other winners were Salestia Bryant, 19, of Guilford; Matthew MacSweeney, 18, of Watertown; Danny Miller, 21, of Ledyard; and Nicole Tavino, 18, of Danbury.