Deputy Presiding Officer Kara Hahn has selected Peggy Yin of Port Jefferson to be the Fifth Legislative District’s Youth Award honoree. The Suffolk County Youth award recognizes young people ages 9-18 from across Suffolk County who have gone above and beyond in helping their community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, even before the pandemic began, Peggy established herself as a leader within our community. Beyond excelling scholastically with a 100.86 GPA, 1570 SAT and being Earl L. Vandermulen High School’s 2021 Valedictorian, Peggy:
- is an award winning vocalist and flutist;
- Founder and the Editor-in-Chief of The Current, a student run multimedia platform;
- serves as Editor-in-Chief of the MAST Literary Magazine;
- is Captain of Vandermulen High School’s Science Olympiads and President of the Tri-M Honor Society;
- serves as a member of Legislator Hahn’s Youth Task Force;
- held internships at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory; and,
- volunteers with the based Long Island Explorium, Concerts in Motion, WUSB radio and at Stony brook University Hospital.
During the pandemic, Peggy continued participating in many of those activities while undertaking new roles as well. In 2020, Peggy held an internship with the National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory through its High School Research Program and researched SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a inhibition mechanisms. Additionally, Ms. Yin served as a Student Representative on the Port Jefferson School District’s District Reopening Committee and helped shape the Curriculum & Instruction reopening plans for its students.
Photo: Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (left) presents a proclamation to Port Jefferson high school senior Peggy Yin (right) in recognition of being named the 2021 Youth Award honoree for the Fifth Legislative District.