Sofiya Masterovaya
Myself Third Spirit of New York 2002 Scholarship Winner
Fort Hamilton High School
Kingsborough Community College
"Each year there are students who touch your heart more deeply than others because of who they are, what they have accomplished, and where they hope their dreams will take them. Sofiya Masterovaya is such a student… Cognizant of the fact that education is the key to her future, Sofiya has worked very hard to achieve an overall average of 91.83% and a rank of 76 in a class of 615 students… Sofiya has found time to be an active member of our school's chapter of national Honor Society, serve as president of the Jewish club and as a reporter for the Future Business Leaders of America Club, and volunteers her services to various community organizations and activities. She is especially proud and committed to her participation in Dor L'Dor, a program geared towards assisting the elderly…"
—Joann Porto, College Counselor
Work, Volunteer, and Extra-Curricular Activities
- Dor L'Dor Program
- Art Assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Tutor at Fort Hamilton High School
- President of Jewish Club
Excerpts from Sofiya's Essay
The meaning of civic responsibility varies with each person. I see civic responsibility as the duty of individuals to take care not only of themselves but also of the people around them. Each individual should feel a sense of community within himself.…
Although I have participated in many community oriented extra-curricular activities, the one that stands out the most for me is my involvement with the Dor L' Dor (Generation to Generation) Program. As a volunteer for the Dor L ' Dor, I deliver food packages to and communicate with isolated, homebound, senior citizens. These people depend on me as their connection between themselves and the outside world, and I am thankful to the Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst for allowing me to get in touch with these wonderful souls.
The experience of being a volunteer for these people has further illuminated my awareness and appreciation of the importance of civic responsibility. Most of the elderly people I am visiting do not have close relatives they are in touch with or they live far away from their loved ones. I have been assigned to four wonderful senior citizens: Lisa Vigiarolla, Vitaliy Khaselev, Roza Liberman, and Berta Glozman.
All of my new friends have one thing in common — until they became part of this program, they felt isolated and lonely. Since I joined this unique program in September, I have seen the profound difference I have made in their lives. They look forward to my calls and visits as well as depend on the food deliveries I make during Jewish holidays. I realized that they are not the only ones who are benefiting from this new bond. I have seen and felt firsthand what a great difference one person can make in the lives of others.…
