An independent Quaker school located on the North Shore of Long Island that serves students ages 3 through 12th grade. I am so fortunate to have attended Friends Academy since Kindergarten. FA offers exceptional academics, theatre, arts, music and athletics, all grounded in the Quaker faith, which is found everywhere on campus and in everything that we as students, our teachers and administration do. Our Quaker testimonies are: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Service. We refer to these as the “S.P.I.C.E.S.“

I am also a very active participant in Girl Scouts and as a current ninth grader, I have the opportunity to try and achieve my Gold Award, which is the highest Girl Scout Honor. For my Gold Award project, I decided to take my current STEM program at La Fuerza and expand it globally! I am working with the Girl Scout organization as well as with my Girl Scout leader to find new ways to expand this project to be available to anyone, all around the world My program curriculum can be shared worldwide and is adaptable to being used in person, over video conference, or over the web. I will create an online curriculum which will be added to my Instagram, YouTube, and Webpages and this can be shared all over the country and the globe.

Throughout both of these programs, I have really come to know the staff and families at the program and have been involved in setting up various activities for them to be a part of the community. From celebrating holidays at the Quaker Meeting House with them to playing in the park or watching movies, it is such a rewarding feeling to watch them grow in all their different skills. Even if none of these students pursue science, the skills of developing curiosity, asking questions, and keeping an open mind will translate into anything they might do in the future!

I love taking my passions and transforming them into something that can help people in my local community and hopefully the world. I really enjoy thinking about science and doing science research, and I saw a need in my community to take this interest and use it to help others. As a practicing Quaker, I am very involved in my Meeting House and as a leader in the Meeting House’s Peace and Social Justice Concerns Committee, where I organized and delivered a mentor-ship program at a local organization called LaFuerza Unida. This is a non-profit organization supporting the community needs of native Spanish Speaking and ESL students living on Long Island. Through this mentor-ship program, I would provide homework assistance to these children and help them have a better understanding of the English language even through our conversations.

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As a practicing Quaker, I have been taught that service and community are important characteristics in creating change for the better in this world. I feel it is important to help others, and often, there are citizens within our own communities who are in need. As I learn more about the education gap between people at different income levels, I see an opportunity to educate and inform. I took the initiative to create and deliver a unique STEM curriculum for the after school program. Starting in 2018, my program taught these children about science and technology, while also keeping in mind the unique learning needs of non-native English speakers. Throughout the program, I continually strive to give these children the same opportunities and path for success as any other child in STEM and Science.