Twenty high school students were honored at the inaugural Students of the Year Long Island Kickoff. These students are working as single candidates or as a core team to support the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), which is to raise funds for blood cancer research and cures. More than one million Americans are living with a blood cancer; and every three minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
Students of the Year candidates are:
- Austin Coven, Sophia Kim & Jean Yoo, Jericho High School
- Amanda Epp, Paul D. Schreiber High School (Port Washington)
- Jordan Heller, Syosset High School
- Katherine Heller & Ashleigh Parsons, Bay Shore Senior High School
- Evan Jaslow & Bradley Mussman, Roslyn High School, plus Zachary Luchs, Syosset
High School - Maya Kovic & Alyssa Robb, Deer Park High School
- Laila Drosman & Clara Leyendecker, Valley Stream South High School
- Avi Nessim, North Shore Hebrew Academy High School
- Julia Jassey, Jordan Ozley & Steven Secreti, Half Hollow Hills West High School
- Catherine Rice, Hauppauge High School
- Vanessa Shapiro, Fusion Academy of Woodbury
The candidate (or team) who raises the most money at the end of the six weeks (Feb. 9-March 23) is named Student(s) of the Year. The winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship. In addition, three students will be selected to receive a Citizenship Scholarship Award
of $500 each based on their campaign’s commitment to community, leadership and the LLS
mission.
At the kickoff celebration, which was held at Chaminade High School, the candidates, their team members, adult sponsors and parents were all recognized for their part. As a group, their goal is to raise $100,000 for Long Island.
One of the honored heroes, 12-year old Mary DeLorenzo, an Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) survivor since 2013 from East Islip, was introduced and mingled among the attendees.
She was a true inspiration for all.
In addition to Mary, the other honored heroes are: Rafaello Carone, a high-risk ALL survivor for 12 years, from Dix Hills; and Liam Bowles, brother of Colin, who is an ALL survivor, from Cold Spring Harbor.
“These students are an inspiration to all of us as they are making a difference and helping to cure blood cancers, not someday but today,” said Sara Lipsky, executive director of LLS’s Long Island Chapter.
The winners will be announced at the awards celebration on March 23. The night will be a celebration of all the students’ collective efforts as they enjoy a fun-filled evening with friends and family.
Visit www.events.lls.org/pages/li/longislandSOY2017 to donate to a candidate.
