THE WEEK QUESTIONS:

Q. Please provide the first names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My mother’s name is Rabbi Rebecca Schorr and my father is Warren Schorr. My older brother’s name is Ben, and my older sister’s name is Lilly. We also have a dog named Poppy.

Q. Having recently completed high school, do you have any special plans for this summer?

A. I’m going to be doing the same thing I’ve been doing for the past 10 years. I’m heading up to URJ Camp Harlam, my home away from home in the Poconos. I’ve been a camper there since I was eight, and this summer marks my first year as a counselor. I’ll be there from mid-June to mid-August and then I’ll head right off to college.

Q. What was your favorite class at Emmaus High School? Why?

A. My favorite class at EHS was either project-based chemistry or AP art history. I usually find my classes very easy, but project-based chemistry was a refreshing change. I had to put in extra effort to grasp the concepts and because it focused on hands-on projects, I wasn’t just memorizing material for tests. Instead, I got to apply what I learned in fun and engaging ways, such as growing plants with hydroponics, making bioplastics, crafting soap and roasting coffee.

AP art history was another of my favorites because I spent the entire year exploring various art pieces, learning about their historical context, the artists behind them and the cultures that produced them.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. National Honor Society.

Q. Were you involved in any extracurricular activities? How has being involved in these organizations impacted your high school experience?

A. Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in various extracurricular activities. For the past four years, I have been attending the Kobushi Family Karate Center, where I learned the values of respect, discipline and the importance of pushing myself both physically and mentally.

For the last two years, I have also been a member of the North American Federation for Temple Youth Pennsylvania Area Region. This past year, I had the honor of serving as the Religious and Cultural Vice-President of my region. In this role, I developed my leadership skills, strengthened my public speaking abilities and found a community I will cherish for a lifetime.

Additionally, I joined the administrative student council four years ago after being personally invited to participate. This experience provided me with valuable administrative training and taught me how to make decisions that benefit not just myself but the larger community.

I am also a member of National Honor Society, where I have had the opportunity to make a positive impact through community service. Overall, each of these extracurricular activities, as well as all the others I’ve participated in, has given me a sense of belonging and shown me that I can make a difference, no matter where I am.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge to date?

A. Last year was my first season snowboarding and I was far too overconfident. I attempted a trail that was too hard for me and I crashed. I snapped my humerus in half and spent a week in the hospital, followed by surgery. Afterward, I was absent from school for two and a half weeks and then spent the next half a year in physical therapy. During this time, I lost my stamina, strength and much of my motivation. I felt utterly defeated and struggled to keep up with schoolwork and return to my everyday life. However, this past winter marked a turning point as I finally returned to a new sense of normal. Despite pushing through significant pain and anguish, I emerged on the other side much stronger than I was before.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. My short-term goal is to get to college, but my long-term goal is to graduate college feeling proud of who I’ve become and what I’ve accomplished.

Q. If you could spend an evening conversing with an historically significant person, whom would you choose? Why?

A. I would love to speak with Rabbi Hillel, Shammai or any of their contemporaries. I’m deeply curious about their views on the current state of Jewish Law in the modern world. I’m also interested in what amendments they might suggest to the Mishnah, considering what the world is like today.

Q. For what would you like to be remembered?

A. I’m about to give what is the least satisfying answer. I promise I’m not doing it to be a contrarian. I simply want to be remembered as me. No one thing can describe a person. People are too complex, and I would rather people remember me for all my facets and everything that I am.

Q. Do you have any advice for your peers?

A. My advice draws from a Jewish story (oh, God, I’m turning into my mother). It is said that Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pershyscha carried two slips of paper in his pockets. One slip read, “Bishvili nivra ha-olam,” meaning “for my sake the world was created.” The other said, “V’anokhi afar v’efer,” which translates to “I am but dust and ashes.”

The advice you should take from this story is that you should be confident in yourself and seek out those who will help build you up because you are important; you matter, but don’t forget to be there for others as well.