Hena Choudhry

Hena Choudhry (The Oakland Journal)

Ever since Hena Choudhry was 7, all she wanted to do was to figure skate. Indeed, she did figure skate, and not only was she good, she was exceptional. To be able to balance both skating and school, Hena was forced to become home schooled at the age of 11 so that she would be able to fit more training hours into her hectic schedule. However, while she was successful in skating, she could not help but to feel as if she was missing out on a valuable experience, and so, she returned to school to finish up her last two years of secondary school at DePaul Catholic. High school life and hardcore training weren't easy to balance, but Hena has not only managed to execute both with precision and ease, but she has also become a very influential person in her community.

Hena realized that, as she looked around herself, she wanted to see change in the world. She soon found out that she could help to change the world, and to start, she starting working at Valley Hospital in Paramus, NJ on weekends. The hospital had a shortage of helpers, and Hena quickly accepted the offer to work in the neurology ward, calling the experience "life changing and ineffable". It was in that ward that Hena would soon discover her passion for neurobiology.

Time passed on, and Hena realized that what she was doing was simply not enough. While studying neurobiology in Massachusetts one summer, Hena came across the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual Light the Night Walk. Having been touched earlier in her life by the story of a young boy stricken with cancer, Hena quickly signed in with the organization to become a coordinator of her region's walk as well as the Team Captain for her team, Rememdium. Hena and her team raised an astonishing $1000 in under thirty days, and Hena was happy that she had made, in her words, "at least a small difference".

Around the same time, Hena founded the North Jersey chapter of the Unite For Sight organization in her region, and she quickly recruited members who were dedicated to raising eye awareness. As founder and president of the North Jersey chapter, Hena requires all of her volunteers to take an extensive eye exam before becoming a "qualified volunteer". Qualified volunteers are able to help Hena when she holds seminars on eye awareness at local elementary and secondary schools and are able to help her fundraise.

Between all that this Super Girl does, she still finds the time to tutor elementary school children and work as an ESL teacher on weekends, work as a part-time figure skating coach and USFSA-qualified trial judge, work for The Hunger Project, and work at the Valley Hospital, where she was recently promoted to working in the emergency department as an emergency room aide. She never seems to tire from all that she does, and you can always expect to see a sunny smile on her face, a face full of everlasting determination.