Tami Giordano
Myself Third Spirit of New York 2002 Scholarship Winner
Tottenville High School
Kingsborough Community College
"We expect our students to do well, but it is truly gratifying to work with a student who knows it is equally important to do 'good.' Tami does well in school and she does good for her school and community.… She is currently a student in my College Now Sociology class. She has a commitment to intellectual pursuits along with a humanistic quality of helping those around her.… Tami has demonstrated originality, leadership and a sense of maturity motivating others to participate. She does not need the spotlight to shine. This is her greatest quality."
—Alex Ferrara, Social Studies Department
Work, Volunteer, and Extra-Curricular Activities
- SPARK Group Development
- Peer Teaching
- Girl Scouts
- Ida's Ice Cream
Excerpts from Tami's Essay
As a Girl Scout,… I did little things, like spend a day picking up trash on a beach, working for a blood drive, and painting eggs for even younger Girl Scouts to find on Easter. As I got older I worked towards my silver award, and in 1998 I received it. To receive this award I had to do 30 hours of community service. For this, my friend and I planned meetings at a retirement home. We spent many hours a day there, singing to the elderly, talking to them, and baking them cookies.…
Everyone has…a civic responsibility, and as well as working to do my best to achieve mine, I have watched others and greatly appreciate what THEY are doing for ME. My mother and many other women were my leaders in Girl Scouts.…I believe that teachers are in fact doing a service. …I am very appreciative of many of the teachers I have met throughout my years in school. Some have encouraged me to become who I am, not only through educating me in school subjects, but through their personal words, and their belief in me.
One person whose civic responsibility I have witnessed firsthand and who I have admired and appreciated more than anybody these last couple of months has been my father. My father is a chief of the New York City fire department. He was a captain of L 101 at the time of September 11th, and he lost seven men. He has been doing so much these past six months. He volunteered to go to the site many times without pay; he set up fundraisers, and planned organizations, and most importantly he stuck by the families and friends of the victims whenever they needed him.…Civic responsibility has played a large role in my future, because I now realize that I want to stay in New York City. I want to continue to help the community as best as I can.…I feel that my community involvement shouldn't end as I enter college; it should definitely be increased. In the City University of New York I can further my career and I can also continue to help my society and fulfill my responsibility as a citizen.
