Inspiring Teens Magazine Features

Samantha Green

2/23/2021

Samantha Green – New York
Nomination and Photography by Dan Duren Photography LLC
Issue 43 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Samantha Green is an amazingly talented teen, outstanding academically, athletically in beach volleyball, and a quiet leader amongst her teammates. Sam is respected and loved by her coaches and her teammates on and off the court. Love seeing her cheer for and encourage the younger athletes in her sport. Throughout the lockdowns of 2020, she continued to work hard, practice at home, and came out smiling at the first big tournament in Florida at the end of the year. Sam is an amazing Senior, well deserving of recognition.

Tell us about your beach volleyball career.
I discovered my passion for beach volleyball through my mom, who had played college volleyball and still currently plays beach volleyball. After dragging me to the beach for most of my childhood, my mom eventually convinced me to play and not long after I fell in love with the game. Beach volleyball, unlike indoor, isn’t only about which team is the most physical or the most skilled. I found my love for the doubles beach game in that it is so intellectual, relying so heavily on strategy and decision making. When playing beach volleyball, nothing is certain, whether it’s the weather conditions, the different depths of sand, or the varying matchups, each game and practice offers something new and exciting to work on.
Being a competitive beach volleyball player in New York, finding opportunities to compete year-round has been challenging. However, I refuse to allow my geographic location, and cold winter weather, to stop me from pursuing my passion for beach volleyball. I train with the most competitive team in the Northeast region, out of New Jersey, and dedicate three days a week to the two-hour long commute through New York City to practices. With this team, I can practice year-round in an indoor facility, and train with the best players in my region.
In persisting through the challenges I faced in my pursuit of my passion for year-round beach volleyball, I have battled my way to becoming a Division One Beach Volleyball recruit and look forward to playing collegiate volleyball next fall.
Beach volleyball has taught me how to be a positive and encouraging teammate, a leader, and most importantly a better person. I have learned how to be resilient, adaptable, and intellectual, all of which are crucial skills I apply to my everyday life.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
While pursuing beach volleyball, and being a leader in that regard, I have also managed to excel academically. Finishing 3rd in my high school class of 318, I have taken high rigor AP and honors courses throughout my high school career, all while managing the grueling schedule of sports. I am also a selected leader in my high school and community and participate in many volunteer groups in which I mentor the younger students in my high school district.
Academically, I am a peer tutor for struggling students in my high school district. Through this leadership role, I can help others succeed in their courses, while instilling in them the confidence they need to better understand challenging topics. Athletically, I serve as an Athletes Helping Athletes peer mentor, in which I am a role model for younger students in the district. Through this role I teach elementary aged students the importance of sportsmanship, teamwork, and good decision-making, while offering them a positive example to look up to in their own school district.
Through these leadership roles, I hope to leave behind a legacy of resilience and positivity. Always striving to be the best version of myself, I have instilled these values in all the children and peers I have mentored and hope that they can embody these characteristics in their own lives.

If you were to present a topic to a group of your peers, what would it be on and why?
I would present on the importance of the intangibles. No matter what you are doing, being good at that specific task, whether it's a sport, activity, club, or school subject, is only half of the battle. It is your attitude, determination, work ethic, and all the "intangibles" that rise you above being good to instead become great at what you do :)

Look for Samantha in issue 43 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 43

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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Meaghan Gerstner

9/17/2020

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Meaghan Gerstner – New York
Interview by Claire Plath
Nomination and Photography by Kelly Wachs
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Meaghan Gerstner has been inspiring since she was born. She a very hard working, compassionate person. She has played sports her whole life. They include dance, soccer, softball, & dive team. She was on the section 5 NYS champion Downhill ski team last year. She sings in her school choir and is on the national honor society. She loves all water sports as well! Meaghan is looking forward to her senior year as well as choosing where she might go to college to study fashion marketing.

Photography by Kelly Wachs

What do you love most about playing a variety of different sports through your life?
My favorite part about playing sports year-round, would be staying active and busy all the time. I love to stay in shape for upcoming seasons and when I always have a sport during the season previous, it helps a lot with staying in shape year-round.

What are some of your other interests including surfing and spending time at the lake?
Some of my other interests include singing, skiing and photography. I love to improve my voice whenever I can and singing has been a passion of mine ever since I was little. During the winter I enjoy skiing on my free time and having fun with my friends. Lastly, a huge passion of mine is photography, I am currently taking photography in high school and I am loving the history and details about photography. For fun, my friends and I love to explore and find interesting backgrounds for photoshoots!

Photography by Kelly Wachs

Tell me about your passion for modeling and fashion, and what the process has been like getting involved in modeling.
Fashion has always been a passion of mine and I love to keep up with current styles. I also dedicate this passion into my own style, and love to come up with new and fashionable outfits. Modeling has always been a huge dream of mine, and thanks to my aunt Kelly, I have gotten a few opportunities regarding that. Currently I am in the works to model for a surfing company which is a dream come true. I got into this by first being accepted into a local team of riders, and the host is a photographer for Neonwave. He has asked me to begin to model for the company and I immediately took up the offer. I am pursuing my dream of modeling while also incorporating surfing.

Photography by Kelly Wachs

How has your passion for fashion influenced where you would like to attend college and what you want to pursue in life?
My interest in fashion has led me in the path of fashion marketing. I enjoy math during school so I would love to try and combine math with fashion. In terms of school i’m looking more into marketing rather than fashion marketing specifically, and I hope to study abroad at some point and incorporate fashion.

Photography by Kelly Wachs

How has your love for all the different passions you have led you to making memorable experiences throughout your life?
Personally, I think it is more ideal to surround yourself with people who have similar interests or passions. A lot of my friends and family share these interests and when you are surrounded with people you love, doing what you love, that is when the best memories are made. Also when you work hard at something it always pays off whether that is recognition, or bigger opportunities ect.!

Meaghan will be featured in issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

Click here for more information on issue 38

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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New York Fashion Week

4/10/2018

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By Delila Matara

15 yrs old, 5’1, and in New York Fashion Week!

Last year when I was 14, I decided that I would love to audition for NWFW. I was excited to receive the invite after my mom sent an email, and was one of the first people to arrive. I was super nervous though! There were about five models all over 5’7 and definitely older than me. The girls were super friendly, and the more I talked to them, the more I realized that they were from all over the world. While the girls and I chit-chatted, the three men that seemed to be the judges started choosing people to walk, starting with the tallest models first. As time went on, I still had not been called on and I started to get super nervous. But every single girl that walked was criticized by the main judge. Whether it be they were walking too fast or they moved their hand too much, the main judge would critique them.

Finally it was my turn. Before I knew it, my legs were moving and I tried to think of anything else other than the millions of eyes that were watching me. As I finally finished, I stood there and for a solid minute, and nothing was said. It was absolute silence. “Delila, you were completely remarkable, and I have no criticism for you. But I am sorry, you are too short to participate,” the main judge stated. I was numb and began to tear up, never wanting to do modeling again. My mother and I got into the car, and I completely broke down. My mom looked at me and laughed, “Delila, you should be smiling, he critiqued the only thing you cannot control.”

Luckily, I did not give up and finally met a designer that gave me a chance. I met some amazing people who truly helped me.

Since we all were walking for one specific designer, we all had one distinct outfit to wear on the runway. This outfit line was mainly made up of tuxedos for both men and women, but I actually was put in a silk beige dress. Once we had our hair and makeup done and had all tried on our outfits, it was time for the walkthrough rehearsal. Finally, the runway began at 1:30 pm sharp. The models were put in a specific order according to their outfit style and color. I was put in between two male models that had a similar style texture as my dress. We waited about 15 minutes until it was our turn to walk. As I walked through the curtains, anxious and all, I saw hundreds all flashes and smiling faces.

It is hard not to smile when you see all these amazing people encouraging you, but you need to stay the part and continue on. As I made my way around the runway, I saw my mom along the photographers and I realized how blessed I was to have all these people supporting me through my journey. The show ended and was full of “good-jobs” and cookies as well. After the mingling was over, I stopped and said it, “I took place in New York Fashion Week.”

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Long Island Teen Charity Work

3/27/2018

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How to brighten someone’s day with just a couple words on a gift bag

By Sarah Smith

I’m here with Ashley, Kaitlyn, and Emily Berger, 14-year-old triplets who create gift bags every year around the holiday time to be delivered to food pantries and senior living centers around Long Island.

So, Ashley, how long have you been doing this and what got you into it?
Ashley: We have been doing this for two years. We are participating in the congressional award and one of its requirements is community service. We went online with the help of our dad to find out places near by that needed help obtaining products and materials that could be used by people in need. We had previous knowledge of our local food pantry where we donated bags of personal hygiene products to help the people there. We also found Paumanack Village, which is section 8 senior housing, and also donated to and helped the people there.

What exactly goes into making each of the bags and how long does it take?
Kaitlyn: The process incudes two trips to the store. For the first trip, we buy toiletries and other small necessities. For the second trip, we buy anything we ran out of the first time and some extra goods. We make about 100 bags, which are filled to the top and end up being the size of a basketball. We spend about four hours total assembling the bags and two hours buying the supplies.

Who makes and donates the bags to these particular places? What makes your bags unique?
Emily: We are the only ones who make these bags. They are unique because we write personal, holiday, or inspirational quotes on them to make it a more personal experience for them.

What impact do you think the personalization has on the recipients?
Ashley: The quotes on the bags really do mean something to them because its more personal and it shows that more effort was put into it. The people are very grateful, regardless of the words on the bags. The kind quotes are just another way to brighten someone’s day and go the extra mile to make them smile.

How does delivering them make you feel?
Emily: It makes me feel good because I know someone in need is really appreciating it. It makes it more fun and personal to hand-deliver them. We get to talk to them for a few minutes and learn about their lives and families. It means a lot to me to hear how much they appreciate the bags and the quotes on them.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get involved in charity work?
Kaitlyn: You should start out by researching areas in need near you. Contact them to ask what products they need more of. Kind of like what Ashley said, these small gestures mean the world to those in need.

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Samantha Green

Samantha Green – New York
Nomination and Photography by Dan Duren Photography LLC
Issue 43 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Meaghan Gerstner

Meaghan Gerstner – New York
Interview by Claire Plath
Nomination and Photography by Kelly Wachs
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

New York Fashion Week

By Delila Matara

Long Island Teen Charity Work

How to brighten someone’s day with just a couple words on a gift bag

By Sarah Smith

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Samantha Green

Samantha Green – New YorkNomination and Photography by Dan Duren Photography LLCIssue 43 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Meaghan Gerstner

Meaghan Gerstner – New YorkInterview by Claire PlathNomination and Photography by Kelly WachsIssue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine​

New York Fashion Week

By Delila Matara

Long Island Teen Charity Work

How to brighten someone’s day with just a couple words on a gift bag ​

By Sarah Smith

Featured

Archives

Categories

Samantha Green – New York
Nomination and Photography by Dan Duren Photography LLC
Issue 43 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Meaghan Gerstner – New York
Interview by Claire Plath
Nomination and Photography by Kelly Wachs
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

How to brighten someone’s day with just a couple words on a gift bag