Luke Pavlenishvili
Luke grew up in Brighton Beach, a Brooklyn neighborhood where hearing Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Georgian and other languages in the streets, shops, and schools was a part of daily life. Known for its large and vibrant immigrant community from the former Soviet Union, Brighton Beach was also a place where neighbors helped each other, even if they weren’t close—bound by a shared sense of community. This idea of helping people in your community was something that Luke saw being practiced over and over again in his neighborhood, and it eventually became a part of Luke's own ethic.
In fact, community service is so important to Luke that when he heard about the chance to volunteer while he was at NACs, he was the first to sign up. He has participated in nearly every volunteer project organized by DoGood at every NAC that he has been to! The one project that has made the most impact on him was working at the Franklin County Dog Shelter. This stems from his own love of dogs - especially his own dog, Argo.
“For me, leadership is about creating opportunities for others to succeed while building a community where growth and collaboration thrives and strives to make a positive impact.”
When he's not volunteering or fencing, Luke loves an adventure and the outdoors! You can often find him hiking or riding his bike with Argo running alongside him. He also enjoys problem-solving through robotics, using his creativity and technical skills to help his family or trick out his bike.
Luke is a saber fencer at Scarsdale Fencing Center.