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Valley Stream Lions, Kiwanis clubs award scholarships
Six high school graduates will have a little extra money for college thanks to two local community service organizations. The Valley Stream Kiwanis Club and Lions Club recently announced their annual scholarship recipients.
The Lions Club presented four students each with $1,000 at its annual scholarship dinner on Aug. 2 at Goldie’s Restaurant in Gibson. Each student was ranked within the top 30 of their respective class, including one valedictorian.
“They were outstanding,” Lions Club Treasurer Channan Persaud said of the four recipients. “Academically, what they are pursuing caught our attention.”
The honorees were Silvia Arora, Sharifa Davis, Madona Gadalla and Sara Sin. Arora was the valedictorian of Valley Stream North High School and will be attending Dartmouth College in the fall to study chemistry.
Arora said she found out about the scholarship from the school’s guidance office. She said the money will offset the cost of books and housing expenses. “I was really happy and excited,” she said, recalling the letter she got in the mail telling her she would be receiving a scholarship. “I was actually surprised. It’s going to help me a lot next year.”
The Lions Club is an organization dedicated to community service, and Arora is no stranger to helping others. She volunteered for 250 hours at Franklin Hospital, and has been a tutor at school.
Davis will be attending Drexel University and plans to study chemical engineering. She said she wants to work with either cosmetics or food when she finishes college.
The Central High School graduate has been the captain of her tennis team and was a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society. This summer, Davis is volunteering with House of Hope, a local outreach center associated with Bethlehem Assembly of God. She provides food to needy families and works in the thrift shop. “It was an eye-opener,” she said of her volunteer service. “I didn’t know so many people close by were in need.”
Davis said the money from the Lions Club will help with her college expenses. “I’m really thrilled and excited,” she said, “and I’m really thankful because it’s really competitive to get any scholarship.”
According to Persaud, 13 graduates applied for the scholarship this year. He said because of strong fundraising efforts, this was the first year the Lions Club was able to present awards to as many as four students.
Gadalla, a resident of North Valley Stream, graduated from Elmont High School and ranked fourth in her class. She will be attending the Sophie Davis medical program, and ultimately wants to work as a physician in underserved communities around the world. “I like the idea of helping people that are underprivileged,” said Gadalla, who was born in Egypt and grew up in the Alden Terrace neighborhood of Valley Stream.
In high school, Gadalla helped organize canned food drives for needy families, as well as tutoring sessions for students. Through the Honor Society, she ran a fundraiser for a local child with muscular atrophy. The money helped the family with medical expenses.
Sin was not able to attend as she is in the Dominican Republic teaching children this summer. Her parents, father Jehak and mother Young, attended on her behalf. “I’m very proud of her,” Young Sin said.
The South High School graduate ranked 10th in her class and is looking to study business, journalism and international relations at the University of Michigan. At South, she was a member of the Student Council, Cultural Society, Chamber Orchestra and Mathletes team. She was also a spelling bee winner in elementary school.
Sin was also one of three graduates to receive a $500 scholarship from the Kiwanis Club in June. “When I opened the letter I was ecstatic,” she said. “It was one step closer to helping my parents out with paying for college.”
Megan Mazza and Megan Piccirillo each were also honored with a scholarship after the three girls were selected from a pool of 11 applicants.
Mazza graduated from North High and plans on attending Adelphi University in the fall. When she got word that she was selected as a scholarship recipient, Mazza said she was thrilled. “I was really excited because I felt that I was finally recognized for all the community service and everything I’ve done,” she said.
She has been a member of the Valley Stream Youth Council since seventh grade and is very involved in Holy Name of Mary Church. She has been a religious education teacher there for the last three years. Mazza added that she isn’t certain about what she wants to do when she graduates college, but is leaning toward teaching. “I know I want to give back to the community like I’ve been doing my whole life,” she said.
Frank Farella, secretary of the Kiwanis Club, said each year when the board members meet the scholarship recipients, it is clear that the soon-to-be college students are of high character, and this year was no different.
Piccirillo will be attending American University in Washington D.C. this coming fall and plans to major in international relations. The recent North graduate has volunteered at local medical centers and the Malverne Public Library in addition to assisting with other projects in the area. She is even leaving for college early in order to do some community service through her university before classes start.
“It’s one of those scholarships that actually has means something,” she said. “It’s not just money or an award, it’s recognizing something you’ve done to help the community.”
