Keren Elmore ’22 is a talented and ambitious junior who, despite the pandemic, has taken full advantage of her opportunities at Molloy. Keren has been a part of every Stanner Players production since her Freshman year, she is a member of the Afro-Caribbean Club, has participated in many Mock Trial tournaments, and is proud to be a founding member of GERLL Club (Girls Empowerment for Real Life Leadership). She has also served as a Peer Tutor and an Open House volunteer. Most recently, Keren continued to feed her passion for theater, playing the role of Grandmama in the Stanner Players’ spring musical, The Addams Family: Quarantined Concert Version.
Outside of Molloy, Keren has enjoyed enrolling in courses through the NYU Collegiate Seminar Program, for which she was nominated by Mr. Gus Esgro, her college guidance counselor. Keren has also been involved with the NYU High School Law Institute, which she applied to on her own following her previous experience with NYU programming. For three hours every Saturday, from November through March, Keren virtually joined NYU law students in classes such as Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Speech and Debate.
Keren is an avid volunteer and youth leader in her local parish, Greater Allan Cathedral Church in Jamaica, Queens. In 2020, during the early peak of the pandemic, Keren used Facebook Live to broadcast religious and educational programming to the children in the parish to keep them engaged in the community. Keren tapped into her love of acting to produce over 50 episodes, with each one garnering over 1,000 views. She wrote scripts, filmed at her dining room table, and even implemented a sign language component into the broadcasts. Topics ranged from how to treat others with respect, to safety practices, to gospel passage discussions.
Keren says her faith had a lot to do with mentally and emotionally navigating the pandemic, especially after losing her grandfather. While this was a difficult experience, she realized that many other people were having a hard time too, and that she was in a position to help the kids in her community. Serving and helping others motivated her to make the most of a difficult situation. She also found peace in writing poetry about hope and social justice. She has plans to compile a book of her poetry this summer.
Keren hopes that there will be an opportunity to have more in-person classes and events during her senior year. She looks forward to “coming back” to the Molloy community, seeing her friends and teachers more regularly, and creating lasting memories.