Queens teen named NYC Girl Scouts Future Woman of Distinction
NEW YORK (WABC) -- You could call it an Oscar for Girl Scouts.
Sarah Lin, 17, was named the Future Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Greater New York last month for her work making movie theaters more accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing.
"I'm so honored to be chosen out of all of these candidates who had amazing projects that give back to their own communities, I got to speak on a big stage. And I got my face on, like the Nasdaq tower," Lin said.
Lin and her family love going to the movies, but when her mom started losing her hearing, she started staying home.
That inspired this Girl Scout to go to her favorite theater in Forest Hills and ask them to show open captions for some of their films.
Now her mother and 175,000 other New York City residents who are hearing impaired can enjoy the big screen again.
"Oh, I'm very proud of the Gold Award, it shows her passion for wanting to make the world better and more inclusive," Sarah's mother Annie Siu said.
The senior at the Bronx High School of Science also organized a free screening for deaf students and residents at a senior center to welcome them back to the theater.
For her work, she earned the highest medal, the Gold Award, which then led to the Woman of Distinction award.
Fellow moviegoers also applauded Lin's work.
"I think it's absolutely wonderful, it can even help people learn English. Beneficial for everybody," one resident said.
Lin has also designed whiteboards for local stores so customers can write instead of speak. She helped update headsets in case a little higher volume is all the audience member needs
"Girl Scouts provides young girls with the platform to make a difference and make the world not only a better but a more inclusive place. I believe that I'm someone that could make a change in my community and make a difference," Lin said.
New York City now requires most theaters to offer some open captioning.
There is a similar bill in Albany to expand that for the rest of the state.
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