Award for Huntington Station student

School is out for the summer, but that doesn't mean the scholarship season has ended.

Danielle Adler, a recent graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station has won a $2,000 AXA Achievement Community Scholarship.

Adler was a member for three years of her school's AIDS Peer Educators program, which helps educate middle school students about the virus and other sexually transmitted diseases. She was inspired to join the program by older friends who worked in it, and she remembered the visits of peer educators to her classroom when she was in the seventh grade.

"And it was a way for me to open up -- normally I'm not very good with public speaking," she said.

Adler, who turns 18 next month, will use the money to attend Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., where she is enrolled in a six-year doctorate program in physical education. She appears above with AXA executive Ferdinand Ruplin, the executive vice president and manager of the AXA Advisors Long Island Branch.

AXA is one of the country's largest corporate providers of scholarships. Other winners from the company's Lake Success office were:

Nicole Sample, Rockville Centre, South Side High School – Nicole performed diabetes research in a Vascular Biology Lab at Winthrop Hospital, through the National Institute of Health (NIH) supplement grant for high school students.

Mia Esposito, Massapequa High School -- Mia was the founder and President of GAAP-Girls Against Peer Pressure, a non-profit organization that works to make a difference in the community through charity work and open discussion.

Megan McGuire, Massapequa High School -- Megan volunteered as a “buddy” to challenged athletes with disabilities for the Massapequa Coast Challenger Little League Program.

James Mao, New Hyde Park, Herricks Senior High School -- James tutored students in math and science at Henry Viscardi School, a specialized school for the disabled.

Kadin Nazkani, Garden City High School -- Kadin worked through the Miracle Club of Garden City HS where he planned and organized two “Miracle Mile Walk-a-thons” to raise money for the Miracle Foundation.

Matthew Seigerman, New Hyde Park, Herricks High School -- Matthew established a Habitat for Humanity Chapter at Herricks High School.