Sofiia Znakharenko, Staffer
Junior Sofiia Znakharenko is a third-year staffer on the SmokyNow team. Along with their ardent commitment to the newspaper they are also heavily involved in student leadership and philanthropy at Smoky Hill through organizations such as Student Government. A large portion of Znakharenko’s interest in the pursuit of news stems from their deep fervor for literature and writing, beginning at an early age and waxing with the fully realized dream of a pursuit of language and storytelling in their future.
Russian-born Znakharenko prides herself on the diffusion of her heritage to the wider student body, with the hope to build a community of like-minded individuals who work to establish a sincere empathy for the plight of their peers and a desire to broaden their own cultural horizons. With the precise goal of destigmatizing the teenage experience and framing worldwide events in a distinctly Buffalo lense, Znakharenko hopes to bring together her community and bring forth commonalities between her classmates that will inspire not only the crafting of lasting relationships but also the inclination for impactful action on the issues that truly matter to the student body.
![The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is recommended by Oliver Hanover (10). [I chose this book] because I think that it like really shows the inside of an autistic kids head or like, [a] part of the spectrum, Hanover said. It also shows how people demonize autism and how they think its like, Oh youre just like a bad person. Or like, you just act out randomly when its kind of just a defense mechanism,](https://smokynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_20230126_154704347_BURST000_COVER_TOP-e1674834001662-675x900.jpg)
![Club member Amara Guss (11) poses with her book recommendation, Orson Scott Cards Enders Game. I think its really just [an] interesting exploration of right and wrong and duty and lies and how they all kind of fit together and its also just really interesting, like futuristic sci-fi kind of world, Guss said.](https://smokynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_20230126_154917513-e1674833975903-675x900.jpg)
![Displaying both these books and the diverse collection of readers to be found within Smoky is a large purpose of the shelfs introduction, but its main focus is to bring attention to books that appeal to the multitude of demographics found within the school as noticed by its attendees. [Its] kids recommending books to kids, Club sponsor and librarian Kyle Harmon said. You know what you like,](https://smokynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_20230126_161154275-900x675.jpg)
