Way to Go! Herricks student recognized for volunteer work

A student in the Herricks School District has been recognized for her commitment to volunteer service.

Sophia Chen, a third-grader at Searingtown Elementary School in Albertson, has been awarded the gold-level President's Volunteer Service Award for accumulating more than 75 hours of volunteer work over a 12-month span.

Her efforts have included tutoring kindergartners in the subjects of math and English language arts — as well as volunteering in the summer camp — at the Long Island Tutoring Academy in Williston Park. The academy provides services ranging from preparation for standardized exams to college admission counseling using tutors that are hand-picked based on their enthusiasm and dedication to their students' success.

"I feel proud, because I get to volunteer and help others, and I can help my community, too," Sophia, 8, said of her volunteer efforts.

Sophia was also part of a group of volunteers that collected two large bags of scattered trash at Herricks Pond Park, a 4-acre park with a walking path that circles a small pond, in December.

"It's important because it helps the environment," Sophia said of the cleanup efforts. "Plastic is hard to dissolve in the soil, so I think it's important to clean the trash so it doesn't hurt the environment."

Sophia also plays the violin and is a member of her school’s Global Awareness Club.

— MICHAEL R. EBERT