Honored For Club Work, Closure Fight
State Sen. Michael Gianaris honored Sebastian Zarate during a recent trip to Albany as this year’s Youth of the Year for the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
Gianaris also congratulated Zarate for being recognized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for his sound character and leadership skills as well as his willingness to give back to the community.
Zarate is a junior at Long Island City High School in Astoria, which will close at the end of the current academic year. His senior year will occur during the inaugural year of the replacement school that will open on the campus this fall.
“I commend Sebastian Zarate for the leadership he has demonstrated and his outstanding achievements with the Boys and Girls Club.” Gianaris said. “It is a pleasure to honor a fellow LIC student, and I am proud of the tremendous contributions this mature young man has made to the western Queens community.”
In addition to his studies at LIC, Zarate is also a member of the Keystone Club, a group of teens dedicated to leadership and community service, and a member of Career Launch, a career exploration and mentoring program whose meetings Zarate often leads.
Zarate also spends much of his time volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club and leads the Junior ROTC battalion.
Upon learning that LIC was to marked for closure, Zarate joined a committee to advocate for the school to remain open. He eventually became the chair of the committee, bringing students, teachers and parents together to keep them informed on the regrettable situation.
“While the city made the unfortunate decision to close LIC, I commend Mr. Zarate’s efforts to keep the school open and encourage him to continue to be involved in community initiatives,” Gianaris said.
