New Hyde Park Memorial High School senior Erika Dong received the High School Scholars New York Mets Jim Plummer Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is covering the cost of her Spring 2022 High School Scholars course offered through LIU Post.

Dong was awarded the scholarship after submitting a short personal essay on her interest in computer science. Her essay highlighted her desire to use computer science not as a vehicle for making a lot of money, but rather to utilize her imagination to help people. In her essay, she states, “Because of the high salaries, many people choose computer science as a major. To be honest, it wasn’t the money that drew my attention. For years, I struggled to find something I was interested in. Then it hit me, I’ve had it the whole time. I’d always put it aside, thinking it wasn’t something people could be passionate about. My imagination.”