Malverne teens honored as 'student standouts'

Two high school students from Malverne were among the 14 honorees for State Assemblywoman Judy Griffin’s annual Student Standout Awards.

Malverne High School senior Agnes Jasia Kubik and Valley Stream North High School senior Hannah Indiviglio were honored with the recognition through a videoconference with Griffin. One student was chosen from each school for their exceptional leadership, kindness, inclusiveness, helpfulness, work ethic, creativity, motivation or civic engagement.

“Today recognizes those incredible students who standout in their schools and communities,” Griffin said in a news release. “These students serve as role models and are an inspiration for their peers. I am so proud to give these students the NYS Assembly Student Standout Award and I look forward to seeing where it takes them.”

Kubik will graduate in the top 10 percent of her class with her regents diploma with advanced designation and honors and mastery in math, while challenging herself to take all gonors and Advanced Placement-level courses. She is recognized as an A.P. Scholar with Distinction and A.P. Capstone Certificate recipient. She excels in her foreign language studies and won the class award for both Spanish 3 and College Spanish.

What stands out the most about Kubik is her leadership ability and her passion for advocating for the less fortunate and the economically disadvantaged. At Malverne High School, she has been president of the Foreign Language Club for the past two years and is an active member of the Book Club, in which she has been awarded the Leadership Award for both. She is vice president of the National Honor Society and Secretary of Model UN. Furthermore, she was the co-founder of the inaugural Female Empowerment Celebration at Malverne High School. She continues to be an integral part of The Pride of Malverne Color Guard and Winter Guard.

Outside of school, Kubik is also very involved in community service and outreach. As part of her church Youth Group for the past four years, she has taken part in the Midnight Run where she helps to collect, organize, and distribute clothing, toiletries and food to those in need. She has also volunteered at Tanglewood Preserve where she worked as a receptionist, tour guide and caretaker for animals. She has helped to plan and execute a Christmas Celebration at a women’s shelter and was a library liaison at the Malverne Public Library where she worked as a receptionist, book sorter and facilitated arts and crafts with the children.  In addition, every year she is a blood donor at Griffin’s annual NY Blood Drive. Lastly, Kubik took part in local theatre productions, field hockey and is an employee at a local bagel store. Kubik will attend New York University, College of Arts and Sciences this fall.

Indiviglio, of Malverne, is Valley Stream North High School’s valedictorian. Although she has strived for this honor since the eighth grade, it was not a quest that consumed her; she simply just wanted to do her best. Indiviglio is humble about what she has accomplished, and is always willing to help her peers, despite them being her “competition.” She began her journey towards being number one in her class by taking accelerated courses starting in eighth grade. From there she never looked back and will graduate with 13 A.P. courses under her belt.

Of all the courses she has taken, Indiviglio has enjoyed the A.P. capstone program the most. This two-year course allowed her to work on an independent research inquiry to prepare her for the rigors of college coursework. When asked where she enjoys spending most of her time, Indiviglio quickly responded, “volunteering at Camp Anchor.” Camp Anchor is a year-round camp for children and adults with special needs in which Indiviglio volunteers as a counselor. Her experiences at Camp Anchor have led her to choose the major of special ed., working towards becoming a special ed. teacher.

Through her multiple honor society memberships, Indiviglio acts as a peer tutor to younger classmen. She is an active member of Grade Council and held a leadership position in the organization for two years. Last year, Indiviglio was co-chairwoman for “Spartan Mini-Thon,” a dance marathon that raised more than $15,000 for pediatric cancer research. Indiviglio will attend Boston University this fall to study speech, language and hearing sciences.

Courtesy Assemblywoman Judy Griffin; compiled by Nakeem Grant