Landa Alhanshaly
Myself Third Spirit of New York 2002 Scholarship Winner
Richmond Hill High School
York College
"Landa Alhanshaly is one of the most remarkable students I have ever encountered. Last year, I was privileged to have her as a student in my 6th period junior English Humanities class, a class comprised of the brightest and best students in the school. Even among these industrious young scholars, Landa stood out. She stood out for her astonishing perspicacity, her noteworthy tenacity and her indefatigable diligence. Landa is incredibly principled. She will not sit passively by while someone is being mistreated, nor if she thinks someone is being misunderstood. All of these factors combine to make this extraordinary woman an ideal candidate."
—Eileen Hudon, College Advisor
Work, Volunteer, and Extra-Curricular Activities
- Masjid Al Abidin — Tutor
- The Domino School Newspaper
- College Office
Excerpts from Landa's Essay
… When The Mark Green Public Advocate Award was given to me the next day, I stood staring at it. At first, I could not understand it but now I do. When I often spoke to teachers, though timidly, of the things that bothered me (I had developed a keen sense of injustice from the very real injustices that I have suffered), I was giving my classmates a voice. Far from complaining, as some more active people might relegate it to, I was fulfilling my very simple right and obligation.
That is not to say real, tangible evidence of raising awareness, marching up to authorities, or providing public service should be placed on a high pedestal, as it has always seemed to be to me; it is just to say that many other ways shouldn't be ignored. Civic responsibility strictly defined as your duty as a citizen should be much broader. I have found that little, random acts that I have performed or seen others perform, such as explaining a concept to someone struggling with it, are very significant.
I finally realize that civic responsibility is an undeniable right as well as an obligation, and that fulfilling our civic responsibility is a two-part process. First, there is the essential voice, not the complaining, and then there is the action — that is, the fliers, the petitions and the service. But more importantly, civic responsibility is a venue for improvement of so many things: our external societies, the people in them, and our own internal growth and happiness. Finally, my understanding of civic involvement, including its very accessibility, has given me a way to work to amend all the injustices that I shouldn't have experienced.
