McLean Citizens Association Honors 4 Teens With Character Award

MCLEAN, VA — The McLean Citizens Association will be honoring four teens with a Teen Character Award at the 25th annual award ceremony at McLean Day celebration on Saturday.

The award ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on May 20 at Lewinsville Park, site of McLean Day. Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust, Dranesville District School Board member Elaine Tholen and Scott Spitzer, president of the McLean Citizens Association, will present the awards.

The award honors teens who have, on their own and without compensation, helped out in their neighborhood or community.

The recipients of the 2023 Teen Characters Award are:

Alex Abraham, junior, McLean High School

• Alex has volunteered at Share of McLean for several years. He helps stock the food pantry, delivers bread donations from Giant, provides support after major food drives, and assists during distribution days. His supervisor at Share wrote that she often relies on him to lead new volunteers since he is an inspiring role model for other teens.

Sebastian Herbolsheimer, senior, Langley High School

• In 2022, Sebastian offered to join the McLean Volunteer Fire Department as a volunteer EMT but they had no vacancies. Instead, he was accepted by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Sebastian has contributed an average of 66 hours a month. Sebastian, an Eagle Scout, also serves as Junior Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 1916.

Kasim Khapra, sophomore, The Potomac School

• Kasim is founder/CEO of MyPy Coding, a nonprofit group that aims to bring equitable access to a computer science education by removing all the barriers associated with it: cost, approachability, and accessibility. MyPy accomplishes this by providing free, online 1-1 coding lessons to students in grades 2-8. Kasim’s initiative targets children from underprivileged backgrounds in the D.C. area.

Tatum King, junior, McLean High School

• Tatum has volunteered for the last six years with the McLean Little League Challenger program, which provides an opportunity for children with special needs to play baseball. This year, she has served as Field Manager, the most significant role that can be performed by a teen.

RELATED: McLean Day To Feature Rides, Performances, Food At Lewinsville Park