Sarah Matari, a 2003 graduate of Hawthorne High School, went on to Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Matari majored in both Philosophy and Arabic. After graduating in 2007, Matari attended Fordham Law School in New York to study land rights and mediation. She graduated in 2011.

Matari now works in New York City for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in securities litigation at a large firm with domestic and international offices. “I enjoy working at my firm because we have many of the industry’s best attorneys and the standards are high. Flawless work and creative thinking are expected,” Matari said.

In addition to Matari’s job at the firm, she is committed to publishing and doing pro bono land rights and mediation work to further the Israeli/Palestinian peace effort. “My interests in contributing to the resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a complex real estate conflict, are second to none,” Matari said.

When asked about her years at Hawthorne High School, Matari responded, “I feel fortunate to have had such a positive high school experience in a close-knit community. Dedication of the staff is to credit. Individuals like Gus Schell (in his role of soccer coach), John Passero (in his role of Coordinator of Student Activities) and Chris Ward (in his role of SHARE advisor) made my high school experience positive and lesson-filled. They helped me to understand that one person can make a difference in any given community and encouraged me to mold a strong work ethic for myself.”

Matari says that she was pushed to be the best that she could physically and mentally be, and she learned what she was made of in high school. She feels that this is a unique tribute to Hawthorne High School and believes that the standards that HHS helped create for her are still guiding her today.