Veronica Hanna wins West Hempstead's 2024 Service Award

The West Hempstead Community Support Association strives to highlight those who work to make their neighborhood better. Veronica Hanna is one of those community-minded people — that’s why she has received this year’s Service Award, a scholarship for high school graduates from West Hempstead.

“It is important to encourage young people to be active in the community because they are part of the community,” said Maureen Greenberg-Mahoney, president of the WHCSA. “A community doesn’t thrive without the involvement from all its residents — it doesn’t matter what age.”

And involved, Veronica is. Her background as a Girl Scout, and her love for their community work and outings to Halls Pond, first sparked her investment in giving back to the West Hempstead neighborhood. She began volunteering with the WWHCSA during Halls Pond Cleanups and the annual Nassau Boulevard Street Fair.

“I really stand by their mission,” Hanna said. “I really like helping my local community and just making it a better place for everyone. That brings me joy.”

It’s her diverse service to the community, Greenberg-Mahoney said, that made Hanna stand out among the many applicants to the Service Award. She doesn’t limit herself to one thing — she gets involved wherever there’s an opportunity to do so.

“She’s a hard worker,” said John Hanna, Veronica’s father. “She’s a very dedicated student. Plus she’s very active in the school community, too.”

Hanna’s work both in and out of the classroom makes one think she must, somehow, have more than 24 hours in a day. She’s president of the student council; president of Students Against Destructive Decisions; captain of the tennis team; a member of the badminton and basketball teams; a member of the drama club and Athletes Helping Athletes; she plays violin, and she’s a member of the Tri-M music honor society, president of the STEM honor society and vice president of the National Honor Society.

“She’s a firm believer in giving back to the community,” John Hanna said. “She actively participated in every volunteer work that they wanted. Different community events, civic association stuff. She never missed one.”

Hanna will be attending Molloy University in the fall, where she will study nursing — taking her service-oriented mindset forward into her professional career.