Sasha Hochman

I am a high school senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am also a spin-class enthusiast who loves to think, philosophize, and read–everything from The New York Times to the stack of novels by my bed. My family belongs to a progressive Reconstructionist synagogue. For my bat-mitzvah project there, I organized groups of family and friends and worked alongside them in the Wissahickon Woods of Philadelphia to clear invasive species and plant native trees in a two-acre area. Being able to see a noticeable change and add natural beauty to the physical world was satisfying and left me hungry for similar experiences of making a difference. Currently, I am a teaching fellow at Breakthrough, an organization that seeks to benefit Philadelphia’s under-resourced students by helping them to get to and through college. As a fellow, I teach a civics and law-based curriculum to seventh graders. In my free time, I love to listen to jazz, update myself on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life, and explore my city.