Rising Mahopac High School senior Cira Graap doesn’t have much free time on her hands these days.
“No, I don’t get a lot of sleep,” she admits.
Graap is a member of Mahopac Girl Scout Troop 1116, a member of the high school orchestra, an advocate for the Epilepsy Foundation of America who has participated in legislative meetings with elected officials in both Albany and Washington, D.C., the student representative on the Board of Education, and a participant in the United Nations’ AI for Social Impact Challenge, which examines how to use artificial intelligence ethically and sustainably.
“For the AI for Social Impact Challenge, I have to come up with a project that could help shape the world in a different way, and I could be one of 10 finalists to go to Geneva, Switzerland,” she said. “The final proposal is due in October, and they choose the winner in December.”
To top it all off, she is starting an internship this summer with Boston Children’s Health Physicians in Hawthorne, where she hopes to learn more about neurology—the subject she would like to study in college.
Graap’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. She recently received the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. The award recognizes young women who demonstrate extraordinary leadership by designing and executing a sustainable, measurable project that solves root-cause issues in their local or global community.
For her project, Graap created the Animal Activism and Rights Club at Mahopac High School, which has worked closely with organizations such as Putnam Service Dogs, the Putnam County Humane Society, Muscoot Farm in Katonah and Riverkeeper.
At a recent Carmel Town Board meeting, Graap was feted by local elected officials, receiving proclamations recognizing her achievement from U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, County Executive Kevin Byrne, state Assemblyman Matt Slater, the Carmel Town Board, as well as state Sen. Pete Harckham, who delivered his proclamation directly to Graap’s front door.
“I want to congratulate you on all your work to get to this point,” Byrne told Graap during the ceremony. “This is obviously the culmination of Girl Scouting. Both Councilman Frank Lombardi and I happen to be Eagle Scouts. That is a different organization, but I think there’s a very strong scouting tradition here in Putnam County, especially in the town of Carmel and here in the heart of Mahopac. Thank you for your service.”
Graap said she knew she wanted to be a scout at a very early age.
“I was going to a Catholic school at the time, and around first or second grade, I came home begging my mom to be a Girl Scout,” she said. “When I got to the Mahopac School District, it became a way to make so many friends. I got kids to join my troop. I was recruiting people even back then.
“I always had a passion for helping others,” she continued. “Our family is religious, and helping others is kind of our motto. It’s the same for the Girl Scouts.”
In fifth grade, Graap was diagnosed with epilepsy, something that changed the course of her life and planted the seed for her interest in the medical field, particularly neurology.
“In 10th grade, I began working as an advocate for the Epilepsy Foundation of America,” she said.
She was accepted into the organization’s Teens Speak Up & Public Policy Institute, one of its signature advocacy initiatives.
“That changed my perspective, and I learned a lot about public speaking and how government works,” she said. “We talked to legislators and members of Congress. I have been a panelist for the Epilepsy Coalition of New York State’s statewide conference.”
Back at Mahopac High School, Graap helped coordinate an Epilepsy Awareness Day. She taught a First Aid class in seizure recognition and helped certify 60 school staff members.
All of her work in epilepsy awareness helped inspire her Gold Award project: the creation of the Animal Activism and Rights Club at the high school.
“It started with my love of dogs, especially service dogs,” she explained. “I have a service dog (for her epilepsy). Her name is Brooklyn. For my Silver and Bronze awards, I did projects on the education of service dogs and support for service dogs. I have made so many service-dog vests and taught others how to make them so the work remains sustainable.”
Graap said the purpose of the Animal Activism and Rights Club is to support animals in the community, especially shelter animals.
“We do a bunch of volunteer things, like raising money through donation boxes,” she said. “We actually started in June 2024, and I’ve been running it ever since. I have a team of friends and a teacher adviser, and he took a vow to continue the project, which makes it sustainable (a requirement for the Gold Award). We have built birdhouses and bat boxes, distributed wildflower seed packages, and performed invasive-species cleanup in Sycamore Park to encourage the growth of native vegetation.”
It might not surprise you that, as a result of all this, Graap is also a recipient of the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness because of her involvement in civics and community service. Additionally, she was chosen by the College Board to receive the School Recognition Award for scoring in the top percentile on the PSAT, and she earned the First Generation Award for being the first in her family to attend a four-year college.
But the crowning jewel of all this may be Graap’s internship with Boston Children’s Health Physicians, which recently got underway.
“Because of epilepsy, I am very interested in neurology,” she said. “It has been a passion of mine to be involved in that and help find solutions. I am very excited about it.”
With a Gold Award already on her résumé, national advocacy experience under her belt and an eye on a future in medicine, Graap’s schedule shows no signs of slowing down. Then again, for someone accustomed to juggling scouting, service, leadership and academics, a few extra hours in the day would probably just mean taking on another project.
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