SERVICE AND SCHOLARSHIP : YOUNG CLASSICIST WORKS TO BETTER HER COMMUNITY
Donna Seidman
It is not unusual to find highachieving students studying classics in the elementary and middle school years . Still , while reading submissions for the Petrino Award last year , I was struck by the story of one particular student . This student was not only inspired by classics and mythology , but also was actively using this inspiration to bring about positive change within her community and the field of classics itself .
While volunteering with her family at Cradles to Crayons , a non-profit organization that provides essentials to children living in homeless or lowincome situations , 9-year-old Claudia Levin-Dorko noticed a significant need that adults had since missed .
“ One day I was cleaning the Barbie dolls and I noticed that all of them were skinny white dolls .” Claudia recalled ,
Claudia Levin-Dorko P R I M A | 2 5