Hewlett resident wins Upstander Award

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Sophie Riegel, a 10th-grader at Hewlett High School and Hewlett resident, was given the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County’s Friedlander Upstander Award for standing up to bullying or intolerance.

Nominated by her guidance counselor, Melissa Rose, Riegel wrote an essay explaining why she is “an upstander and not a bystander.” She wrote another essay about why Rose nominated her for the award.

“One person from Nassau County won the award and one person from Suffolk County won,” Riegel said.” It was such an honor to be nominated and to have been chosen as one of the recipients.”

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center annually honors middle school, high school and college students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice or other forms of social injustice.

The Friedlander Upstander Award, presented by HMTC and the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Nassau and Suffolk police departments, is awarded to middle and high school students in both counties.