Student of Distinction
SPONSORED BY
Zakira Naim
May 2019
Hillcrest High School
Academy of Public Service
& Law
Jamaica, New York
For Jamaica resident Zakira Naim,
it’s easy to say that law and service
just come naturally.
A senior in Hillcrest High School,
she has been a member of the National
Honor Society for four years
while excelling in her all-Honors and
Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
In addition to completing several AP
courses, including AP Environmental
Science, U.S. History and Biology,
she has completed college credited
courses through Queensborough
Community College’s College Now
program. These courses include
Finance, Psychology, Sociolgy, Caribbean
History, and College Law.
Enrollment in the four-year Academy
of Public Service & Law program at
Hillcrest has given her exposure to
the myriad career option available
in the legal profession. The school’s
sequence emphasizes Constitutional
Studies, Forensics, and Criminal
Justice.
In 2015, Zakira was accepted into
Columbia University’s High School
Law Institute. During her enrollment
there she took classes on a wide
range of topics, including criminal
law, constitutional law, and international
law. She also was selected to
participate in the Law Institute’s mock
trial.
In May 2018, she was chosen as
a fi nalist in the prestigious Law Day
Judiciary High School Essay Contest,
My is
sponsored by Appellate Division
Justice Robert J. Miller and the New
York City Bar Association. Zakira
ultimately won the contest with her
essay on “The Separation of Powers:
Framework for Freedom.” Not only
did she take home a monetary prize
with her win, she landed a summer
internship with Judge Marguerite
Grays at the Queens Criminal Court.
The Judge was so pleased with
Zakira’s progress that she was given
a year-long internship.
During her internship, Zakira
worked closely both with Judge
Grays, who focuses on commercial
litigation, and with her team who
taught her the clerical procedures for
important documents. The internship
permitted her to sit in on Judge
Grays’ trials, motions, preliminary
conferences, and other special
conferences. She has also been
introduced to other judges, learning
about their specialized areas of the
law.
Thanks to her extensive high
school activities, she was able to join
the Queens District Attorney’s Council
in October 2018. As a member of
the Council, she meets with students
from multiple high schools monthly
to discuss issues in politics with the
Queens District Attorney. Members
also discuss real cases and follow
them to trial.
All her hard work and dedication
have not gone unnoticed. Salima
Khan, Director of The Academy of
Public Service & Law, has expressed,
with pride, that “I have seen her
display a passion for law and politics
as demonstrated by her eagerness to
debate, her commitment of service,
and her love for public speaking.
“She is aware of the principles
of substantive and procedural due
process and can be expected to
use these principles and procedures
appropriately. She makes insightful
contributions to our discussions and
is extremely helpful to her fellow
classmates when completing complex
projects.”
Zakira’s skills in law studies were
brought to bear In August 2018.
At that time she participated in the
National Scholars Leadership Conference
(NSLC) at American University,
where she took specialized courses
in forensic science, including courses
on biology, toxicology, ballistics and
fi ngerprinting. Her favorite program
activity was a trial where groups
of students study crime scenes and
determine what happened, how it
happened, who did it and why.
Forensics is an area in which
Zakira excels, according to Jaime
Olechowski, Guidance Counselor.
“She has always wanted to have a
"#$%
career in the law fi eld. Most recently,
she has become very interested in
both science and law, looking to
merge the two into a profession.”
According to Ms Khan, Zakira is
always the fi rst to volunteer and has
been a mentor for three years. While
on Hillcrest High School’s Leadership
Council she actively engaged with
other students for several volunteer
activities, including blood drives,
breast cancer walks, and fundraising
activities for leukemia. She has been
a member of the schools’ Junior and
Senior Committee since September
2017 and has helped plan senior
activities (including graduation), raise
money for the school, and represent
the school during high school fairs.
Non-school organizations also
benefi t from her time and energy.
Through ServiceWorks, a national
organization that helps low-income
youth develop the skills they need to
prepare for college. She volunteered
at an animal shelter, in a soup kitchen,
and created care packages for
those impacted by natural disasters.
In the midst of all of these activities,
she also holds a job as a crew
member at McDonalds and has
served as a summer camp counselor.
Clearly, Zakira gracefully balances
work, school, studies, and volunteering.
With graduation on the horizon,
Zakira looks forward to pursuing a
career as a forensic scientist. We
wish her continued success in her
studies and future endeavors!
!
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