In the waning days of the 2022 Legislative Session, Senator Anna M. Kaplan invited local student rising star Sahar Juliet Tartak, a graduating senior at Great Neck North High School, to Albany to be recognized for her achievements by the New York State Senate.
Sahar was joined by her parents as the Senate passed resolution J.2548, “Congratulating Sahar Juliet Tartak upon the occasion of capturing first place in the International DECA Competition,” which was authored and introduced by Senator Kaplan. Following remarks on the resolution by Senator Kaplan, Sahar was given a standing ovation by members of the Senate and extended all the privileges and courtesies of the Chamber by the Temporary President.
Senator Kaplan said, “Sahar isn’t just a rockstar academic and her class Valedictorian; she’s also an internationally recognized emerging leader, having taken first place in an international competition that began with thousands of entrants who qualified from across the world. I couldn’t be more proud of Sahar, and that’s why I invited her and her family to Albany to be formally recognized by the Senate for her incredible achievements.”
Each year, DECA, an international student leadership organization with 173,000 members across 3,200 schools, holds a series of competitions at the state, regional and international levels, with only about 200 qualifiers reaching the international level from a pool of thousands.
This year, Sahar participated in the “Human Resources Management” competition, where competitors are given a briefing on a difficult human resources situation and 10 minutes to prepare a solution, then present it to a panel of judges. Out of the thousands who entered, she won at the state level, then the regional level, and ultimately took first place out of the 200 international competitors.
“Being recognized by Senator Kaplan was such an honor, not to mention a really cool experience,” Sahar told the Great Neck Record. “As a student who’s interested in politics, watching a session live on the Senate floor was incredible. I remember my dad and I peeping down from the gallery to see some Senators huddled up, sharing a bag of M&M’s. I admittedly hope to be there myself one day. The Senator spoke so kindly of me, and her compliments were really touching. Kaplan herself is an inspiration to me. My family loved the experience.”
Sahar shared with the Great Neck Record that she will be starting school at Yale University in the fall and hopes to study Ethics, Politics, Economics, and learn Farsi (Persian).
The resolution honoring Sahar passed the Senate with unanimous support. Read the full resolution at: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/resolutions/2021/j2548
—Submitted by the Office of Senator Anna Kaplan with additional reporting by Julie Prisco
