Name: Katie Jaclyn Friedman
Year: Junior
What are you involved with at Hofstra?
President and Founder of Hofstra University Helping Hands. I’m the chairwoman of Relay for Life at Hofstra. I’m a senator for SGA. I’m was the recipient of the HERstory award this year, which goes to a woman who dedicates her life to participating in and educating others about community service.
What made you get involved with Relay for Life?
The first time I heard about it, my aunt had just been diagnosed with brain cancer. So I started a 32 person team, not really knowing anything about Relay. After I participated in the event, I knew I wanted to be more involved and that I had to do more, so I decided to ask if I could chair the event.
How can others get involved with Relay?
You can either join an existing team or start a new team. I want to build a Relay community at Hofstra, so by telling as many people as you can about the event and getting as many people involved as possible, we can create a supportive community that will really make a difference.
How do you feel about our generation’s involvement with community service?
The coolest thing to me is that because I go to Hofstra, any time something happens the students really do act. There were those kids who committed suicide last semester and our school came together like I’d never seen. We had a candlelight vigil of over a 100 kids. When Haiti happened we had a vigil of over 100 kids. I think that things like that that are like the “it” thing that happened are a catapult for young adults to start getting involved in something, to find out what they’re passionate about. You participate in these events and you see other people being passionate and I think it opens your eyes to so much more. I think that out of these “trendy” causes comes finding your community service niche.
What are your plans for the future?
I see myself eventually opening a high-end women’s boutique. But now I would have a platform: my customers. It would be a shame to have such a circle of people and not do anything with it. I can see it now. I would have nights where the store’s closed and we do a charity fashion show. You can always do something. I’m sure I’ll always be involved in Relay. I feel like I’ll always be a community service-y person. It doesn’t just go away.