High School Fellows
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Arianna Shamin (Oceanside High School Class of 2027) - Current FellowHi, my name is Arianna Shamin, and I am currently a rising junior at Oceanside High School. I am a first-generation American in my family, always eager to learn new things and make a positive impact. To do so, I am a member of my school’s tennis team, model UN team, and symphonic performing arts. Outside of school, I volunteer at my community’s roller-skating program and have directed my passion for helping others toward medicine by volunteering at South Nassau Hospital and interning at a cancer research lab.
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Aleena Zeejah (Oceanside High School Class of 2026 - Current Fellow)Hey guys! My name is Aleena Zeejah, and I’m a rising senior at OHS. I’m very excited to be working with Empowering Education! I’m a high-achieving student involved in multiple honor societies, and I’m really passionate about music and theater. I also founded my own organization focused on supporting people struggling with their mental health, something very close to my heart. I love being surrounded by my friends and family, and I never turn down a good conversation with anyone I meet!
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Melaniia Makukhina (Abraham Lincoln High School Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Hi, I’m Melaniia. I was born in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and raised in Kyiv. I have been living in New York since July 2022. I am currently a 12th-grade student at Abraham Lincoln High School. I am actively studying marketing to work with brands in the fashion industry. Additionally, I am the co-founder of the Guidify-America Instagram account.
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Daniel Bela (Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hello my name is Daniel. I was born in Ukraine in the city of Mariupol. I moved to America when I was 14 years old and went to eighth grade at the Hebrew Language Academy. Currently studying at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design in 10th grade. I am interested in engineering and programming, as well as finance.
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Mariia Vainshtein (James Madison High School Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Mariia Vainshtein. I was born and raised in Odesa, Ukraine. I moved to the US when I was 13 and went to 8th grade at Hebrew Language Academy. Now I am a sophomore at James Madison High School. I have played tennis for 10 years and I also play for my school's team. I am on a law program at my school and in the future I am planning on becoming a lawyer. I am also a Math and English tutor for ESL (English Second Language) students.
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Sebastian Combre (Hillside High School Class of 2025 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi my name is Sebastian Combre and I am a junior a Hillside high school. I am an MMA fighter and I wrestle for my school. A few of my hobbies include reading, playing video games, and watching anime. I would love to make a career off my fighting ability but as a backup I plan of going to trade school to get an electrician certificate.
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Lucero Duran Martinez (Hillside High School Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: I come from a Mexican family, born and raised in Huimilpan, Queretaro, Mexico. It is a beautiful community and I love spending time with my family and going to parties. My family is very strong and has raised me to become a better person. I came to the U.S. because of family problems and to have a better life and better education. I have lived in North Carolina for 8 1⁄2 years and I love it here even though there are some things that I don’t like but everything is really nice. In Mexico I only studied up to kindergarten and here I started elementary school, middle school and high school. My plans are to finish highschool here. I love helping people because many people have helped me when I had problems or I was stuck on something and needed help.
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Trinity Moore (Hillside High School Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Trinity Moore, and I’m currently a sophomore attending Hillside High School. I’m the only daughter with four brothers. Some of my hobbies include reading, playing video games with friends, hanging out with my cousins and best friend Sarah. I also love to skateboard. I want to study Psychology at Duke University, to become a therapist, because I have a passion for helping others.
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Magalie Musto (OHS Class of 2024 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Magalie Musto and I am a rising senior at Oceanside high school. Some of my hobbies include reading and playing the double bass. Though my passions lie within government/politics, I am also a dancer, and wish to focus on making the arts more accessible for our youth.
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Talia Ridi (OHS Class of 2025 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Talia Ridi! I'm someone who will never turn down a conversation from anyone who walks up to me. I love learning new things and meeting new people. I've always had a passion towards community service and helping those around me. Reading is my favorite hobby since the book is always better than the movie.
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Micah Pryce (OHS Class of 2025 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Micah Pryce and I'm a rising junior who is passionate about reading (specifically manga), video games, and helping out my community any way I can. My dream job is to be a computer scientist and one day make my own game!
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Amelia Wolkoff (OHS Class of 2025 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi! My name is Amelia Wolkoff, and I am a rising junior at OHS. I’m a person who loves science and learning new things. I can typically be found with my face in a book. I love meeting new people and gaining new ideas.
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Max Greenberg (OHS Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi, my name is Maxwell Greenberg. I am a rising sophomore at Oceanside Highschool School and am excited to be starting my first year as a fellow at Empowering Education! I am on the Oceanside boys’ swim and golf teams, and I am also a member of the WiC and DECA clubs. I am interested in social science and economics, and I hope to one day study these topics in college and eventually become an activist investor that brings accountability and fair practices to big corporations.
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Daniela Sanchez (OHS Class of 2026 -- Current Fellow)Bio: Hi my name is Daniela Sanchez and I’m a rising sophomore at OHS. I’m not only a student that focuses on their grades but also an athlete and musician participating in several clubs that are offered at OHS. My hobbies range from listening to music and reading books to playing music and journaling/writing and also being a climate activist with a youth organization!
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Karolyne Lajera (OHS Class of 2023 -- Graduated Fellow)Bio: Karolyne is a senior at OHS. Passionate about service and community, Karolyne started a non-profit to fundraise for the cancer treatment of former healthcare workers. In addition, she is working on starting a Women in Stem chapter at her school and has a focus in medicine.
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Liora Raimondi (OHS Class of 2023 -- Graduated Fellow)Bio: Hi, I'm Liora Raimondi, a person who prides themselves on their stubborn perseverance and upholding their values. As a high schooler working towards achieving their growing passions, I can say my values and beliefs have surely been adapted and changed, however a few core ones remain unchanged. Those core values are creativity, honesty, freedom of expression, and the world around me.
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Christian Piedrahita (OHS Class of 2022 -- Graduated Fellow)Bio: Hello my name is Christian Piedrahita and I am Colombian-American. I am currently a senior at Oceanside High School and aspire to pursue degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. My dream job is to work on a research and development team to make civilian firearms safer. I want to solve the gun crisis in America to protect the future youth of America.
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Our fellowship is dedicated to fostering enduring connections among high school fellows, alumni, and middle school mentees. We aim to build a sustainable network of support that enriches our communities. Fellows are empowered with access to a dedicated fund, enabling them to drive meaningful change in areas they are deeply passionate about.
