Way to Go: Tazim Merchant, Locust Valley

A Locust Valley student has transformed the landscape of tutoring in her high school.

Tazim Merchant, a Locust Valley High School senior, recently created a program that matches members of the National Honor Society chapter with middle and high school students in need of academic assistance.

The program was given a trial run in the 2013-14 school year and officially started in October. So far, 45 tutors are registered in the program's database, with 15 to 20 now serving as active tutors.

"I wanted to create more of a tutoring structure," said Merchant, 17, who is president of the National Honor Society chapter. "It's felt very fulfilling so far."

The program has an after-school component for walk-in students and an out-of-school component in which students fill out an online request form to schedule a session.

Merchant said she plans to expand the idea to the district's primary and intermediate schools in the spring.

Merchant's other achievements include being honored this fall at an awards breakfast of the Women's Fund of Long Island, working as a research intern at St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill, and developing an outreach program to connect her peers with students in Kenya.

She also is president of the Economics and Business Club, co-president of the IB Leadership Group, and co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.