Summit Student Strives To Create Change, Help Others

SUMMIT, NJ — New Jersey is full of bright, driven young people making a difference in and out of the classroom. That’s why Patch and T-Mobile have teamed up to spotlight students excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

This submission comes from Megan Marine, who nominated Sarah of New Jersey.

If you know a student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured as a Star Student on Patch.

What is the star student’s name?

Sarah

What grade is the student in?

11th

How do you know the star student?

My daughter

Tell us about your star student's accomplishments and why they deserve to be recognized on Patch!

Sarah is a registered EMT (took a 190-hour training course + 10 hours volunteering in an ER and passed the national EMT exam) and volunteers for the Summit First Aid Squad (3+ hour shift every Monday and 12-hour shift one weekend each month plus squad meetings and continuing education and re-certifications).

She is also her high school's representative on the Overlook Foundation Junior Board, which meets monthly to learn about the hospital's fundraising needs and then creates a fundraising campaign for a chosen department. Additionally, for the past 3.5 years, she has served as a "Changemaker" intern at Promly, an online platform designed to promote mental wellness and meaningful connections among teenagers/young adults.

Sarah wants to become a doctor one day and has been awarded the Biology award and the Chemistry award at her high school. She also enjoys writing and is an editor on her school newspaper and recently wrote a novel (getting published May 2025) about a young girl who struggles with anxiety and OCD, like Sarah. She is hoping to spread awareness about OCD - it's not what it looks like on tv shows and movies - and help others recognize some of the lesser-known symptoms so they can get treatment.

Lastly, for the past 3 years, she has volunteered as an Elizabethport tutor on Tuesday nights September - April, tutoring young kids from Elizabeth who take a bus up to the Central Presbyterian Church in Summit. She has been recognized at her school each year for her volunteering: 9th grade over 100 hours, and in both 10th and 11th grades, she clocked well over 200 hours of community service.

What three words best describe your star student?

Creative, compassionate, driven.

Keep up the great work, Sarah If you know an outstanding student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured on Patch.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.