Sayville's Adria Vargas is 2025 winner of Newsday's Marcus A. Henry Award

As Adria Vargas stood in the library at Sayville High School, she reflected on the memories she made over the last four years.

Many of which came in the gymnasium just down the hall as a member of the girls volleyball team. The wins and the losses. The pain of a torn ACL and the joy of winning a Long Island championship.

From an athletics lens, Vargas’ impact is immeasurable. But when you step off school grounds, the true extent of her influence on the Sayville community begins to come into focus.

The University of Scranton-bound outside hitter has conducted multiple research projects to reduce nitrogen pollution in the Great South Bay. She has been a Girl Scout since 2011 and earned the Gold Award for completing more than 80 hours of community service last summer. She was a member of three national honor societies, all while maintaining a 105.02 weighted GPA.

Vargas was presented with Newsday’s Marcus A. Henry Award, annually given to a Long Island high school student who excels in the classroom and athletics and displays leadership in the community, on Thursday morning.

The honor is named in memory of Henry, a former Newsday sports reporter and dedicated community leader who died on April 1, 2014, at age 41.

“I know there are so many great candidates who are also making a big impact on their communities, so it’s such an honor to be chosen for this award because I know how meaningful it is,” Vargas said.

Vargas is the 12th recipient of the award and the first from Sayville.

The five other finalists this year were Kellenberg’s Stella Becker, Elmont’s Amira Elrington-Edwards, Sayville’s Olivia Moynihan, Massapequa’s Samantha Portz and Glenn’s Matt Triolo.

In 2023, Vargas and classmate Taylor Carpentieri conducted a research project in which they devised a biochar and crushed oyster shell filtration system to cleanse runoff water of much of its nitrogen before it flows into nearby Green Creek, which leads directly into the Great South Bay. They were awarded a $2,500 grant from the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan to complete the project.

This spring, Vargas and Carpentieri took their project to the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, in which they placed fourth in the Earth and Environmental category and earned the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award, given to the project that demonstrated the principles and technical innovations that offer the greatest potential for sustainable development.

“It was a very important project because the Great South Bay hasn’t been doing too great recently with the increased nitrogen levels and pollution,” Vargas said. “That small little change can help with the big picture.”

Last year, Vargas completed a research project on innovative eelgrass restoration techniques in the Great South Bay. Eelgrass is a seagrass, similar to seaweed, that helps reduce nitrogen levels in the bay and serves as a habitat for several organisms. Vargas developed a seed ball technique, in which eelgrass seeds were embedded into a hollow concrete ball. The concrete would weigh the contraption down into the sand, allowing the seeds to grow out and produce more eelgrass.

Growing up near the Great South Bay, Vargas has always had a love for nature. She enjoys hiking and taking walks with her parents, John and Dina, her older sister, Alexa, and their dog, Levi.

“I just recall this one day, she was walking with me and she saw several dead fish on the sand and she said, ‘Why are all these dead fish coming up on the bay?’ ” Dina Vargas said. “I had her do some research and that kind of sparked her interest in those projects.”

“I’m very proud of her and all that she’s accomplished,” Alexa Vargas said. “As she goes into college, I hope she continues that mindset of wanting to go out and make a difference.”

Vargas plans to pursue a double major in environmental science and business in college and hopes to become an environmental consultant and help businesses make more environmentally friendly decisions.

Vargas spent much of last summer at Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Sayville, where she made a native garden and organized activities such as wheelchair volleyball and a homemade wooden horse racing game for the residents.

She was part of a 10-person Student Visionaries of the Year Team that organized fundraising activities with local restaurants to raise $9,473 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Proud of her father’s Puerto Rican heritage, Vargas was honored by the National Hispanic Recognition Program, which is run by the College Board and recognizes outstanding Hispanic and Latino high school students.

“She amazes me every day in everything that she does and everything she accomplishes,” John Vargas said. “She sets goals for herself and she meets them. She’s always led by example and that’s what truly impresses me.”

After missing her entire junior season with a torn ACL in her left knee, Vargas made up for lost time in her senior year, totaling 273 kills, 264 digs and 77 aces to help Sayville to its first Long Island Class A title and in turn, its first appearance in the state tournament. She was named to Newsday’s All-Long Island first team in the fall.

“Adria is humble, beautiful inside and out, super intelligent and just a really great kid,” coach Debra Urso said. “She was an honor to coach and she helped lead our team. It’s a team and a program that I’ll never forget and she’s a student that I will never ever forget.”

While her legacy on the volleyball court is cemented as one of Sayville’s most impactful players, she hopes to be remembered for the bigger picture.

“I think I would want my legacy to be that I made an impact somehow and that I bettered my community,” Vargas said. “And that I influenced others to make a change, too.”