Meet Julia, Sarah and Kate Lin, the HLAA NYS Social Networking Team
Working Toward an Open-Movie-Caption Law in New York State
Julia Lin
Julia is a junior at the Bronx High School of Science, where she is Co-President of the Pre-Medical
Society, serves on the Student Diversity Committee, and competes on the Varsity Swim Team.
Outside of school, she’s a first-year Ambassador Girl Scout and Girl Advisory Board member. She
has earned the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards and is the top Girl Scout Cookie seller in Queens,
New York, for five consecutive years, featured on the Tagalong cookie box with over 15,000 boxes
sold. Julia is passionate about accessibility and inclusion, co-founding Deaf and HOH Friendly and
founding Simple Signs for Support, where she teaches basic sign language to seniors and hospital
staff and developed training materials now used in staff programs. As a representative of the
Working Group on Girls, she has advocated for girls’ rights at the United Nations’ International Day
of the Girl Summit. She also serves as a summer research intern at an NYU Alzheimer’s Research
Lab and has earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award annually since 2019.
Sarah Lin
Sarah is a college freshman at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education BS/MD program
and a Bronx High School of Science alumna, where she served as Co-President of the Pre-Medical
Society, Vice President of HOSA, founder and President of Hair Care Society, Senior Council Video
Director, Big Sib, and member of National Honor Society. As a Lifetime Girl Scout and recipient of
the 2024–2025 Future Woman of Distinction Scholarship, Sarah founded Theaters Unsilenced, an
initiative promoting open captioning in movie theaters. She has coordinated free screenings for Deaf
and Hard of Hearing communities, launched a social media campaign, presented at NYC’s Festival
of the Cinema, and has spread awareness through features on Good Morning America, Fox5, ABC,
NY1, and other news outlets. Sarah has conducted pancreatic cancer research at Columbia
University, served as a Wellness Specialist and Peer Support Champion at Elmhurst Hospital, and is
a published illustrator in a medical journal.
Kate Lin
Kate is a junior Biology major at Wellesley College and a research assistant at the Goss Lab, where
she conducts year-round research on how cells divide and grow. On campus, she serves as a shift
leader with the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, and outside of Wellesley, she co-
founded the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Friendly Initiative to promote accessibility and inclusion.
Kate previously interned as a Data Analyst at Complete Home Care Services, where she organized
health data, assisted with patient visits, and managed emergency management outreach on social
media. She volunteers with Brookhaven Hospice and also serves as a Crisis Text Line counselor. A
certified lifeguard and lifetime Girl Scout, she has earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award
annually for her dedication to community service.