Good news for Long Island's John L. Miller-Great Neck North HS! In the same week as three alumni were arrested for robbing their drug dealer of an ounce of pot and a group of seniors were investigated for cheating on their SATs another senior at the school, Michelle Abi Hackman, came in second in the Intel Science Talent Search (which didn't include one finalist from NYC). The icing on the good PR cake? Hackman has been blind since childhood and did her research on "the effect of separating teenagers from their cell phones."
The top prize, worth $100,000, went to Evan O'Dorney, of Danville, Calif., for a math project dealing with a fast method for finding square roots.
For her efforts "researching the anxiety that humans might feel when unable to use their cell phones," Hackman was awarded $75,000 and got to meet a number of DC dignitaries—including the President. In addition to her research Hackman, who plans on going to Yale in the fall, sings with her school's jazz choir and started its recycling program. And in case you really want to feel like you haven't been doing enough with your life, she and a friend are also raising money for a school in rural Cambodia.
"She doesn't sleep too much, I guess," her mother, Sarah Hackman, who attended Tuesday night's awards dinner, told Newsday.
Congratulations Michelle!
