Cardozo senior awarded scholarship for
her volunteer efforts at senior homes
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JUNE 12-18, 2020 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
A Benjamin Cardozo High School senior won a
national scholarship for her volunteer efforts providing
companionship and beauty makeovers to women
in senior homes in Queens.
Aliya Masihuddin is one of five teens across the
country presented with a $1,000 scholarship at the
virtual 16th Annual Glammy Scholarship Awards
on May 30 organized by the GlamourGals Foundation.
The nonprofit organization inspires and organizes
teens to combat elder isolation through one-onone
makeovers and manicures at senior homes, and
grants scholarships to exemplary volunteers within
the organization.
“I am truly honored and grateful for this meaningful
award,” Masihuddin said. “Looking back to
my first makeover, makes me realize how much I
have grown through this amazing organization.”
Masihuddin began GlamourGals as a timid freshman
terrified of experiences, she said. But the new
experience transformed her into a great leader realizing
her love for volunteer work.
Masihuddin, who will be attending CUNY City
College’s Sophie Davis BS/MD program this fall, has
gone above and beyond as the president of her GlamourGals
chapter raising awareness for the Glamour-
Gals mission, helping to ensure that the seniors she
served at Ozanam Hall in Bayside felt “valued, appreciated
and beautiful” after every visit.
Though she was scared at her first makeover with
a senior who complained about the texture of the first
nail polish she selected, Masihuddin showed her that
she was ready to listen and be a friend.
“It totally changed her demeanor and this is the
great part about being a GlamourGal — she told her
adviser that I was the kindest volunteer she had ever
met,” Masihuddin said.
After experiencing how a simple act of kindness
can spread endless positivity, Masihuddin was encouraged
to further GlamourGals’ mission of ending
senior loneliness.
Masihuddin and her fellow GlamourGals board
members began creating crafts, such as paper flowers
and glitter ornaments to give to the seniors.
“It showed how much we love and care for them,”
Masihuddin said. “During these fun and enriching
experiences, it made my dedication to GlamourGals
grow even stronger.”
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Masihuddin
led her chapter and the ‘My Dear Friend’ campaign
sending over 100 digital cards to seniors at a local
nursing home.
For Masihuddin, the meaningful scholarship
from GlamourGals will help to alleviate some of
the financial stress that comes along with being on
the expensive journey to becoming a physician, she
said.
It’s a career path she was able to confirm her interest
in due to her volunteer work as a GlamourGal.
“Overall, being a GlamourGal means a variety of
things to me, including being an essential part of the
community, being a kind compassionate volunteer,
and most importantly, an intergenerational friend to
countless seniors,” Masihuddin said.
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
Benjamin Cardozo High School senior Aliya Masihuddin.
Photo courtesy of GlamourGals Foundation Inc.
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