Woman Seeks To Help Her Namesake
By VERONICA LEWIN
 |
Karen Queensborough |
It is believed that Queens is named after Catherine of Braganza, the Queen of England when the county was created in 1683. Not many people can say they share any similarities with the name of the county they call home, except one woman in Queens Village who spends her free time helping people in the borough that shares her name.
Karen Queensborough was born and raised in South Ozone Park. She now lives in Queens Village and works for the federal government. With the exception of attending Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan, Queensborough has lived in the county her entire life. While growing up in the borough, her last name has spiked the curiosity of strangers and peers.
“It’s a constant question. ‘Your last name is Queensborough and you live in Queens,’” she said people often point out. People joke with her and ask if borough landmarks are named after her, including the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge and the public library system. Even after a lifetime of jokes about her last name, Queensborough said she plans to keep her maiden name after she gets married.
After 36 years of living in Queens, her last name may be one of the least interesting things about her. Queensborough has been an active member of Community Board 13 for nearly three years. She said she hopes CB 13 can combat the ongoing crime in the area this year. She said the economic recession is not the sole reason for the spike of crime, but a lack of police presence and activities for youth contribute as well. She wants her community board will help fight for an increased police presence in the neighborhood.
Queensborough would like CB 13 to partner with local schools and courts to increase the number of after-school programs. She said there are not enough programs for young people from 3 to 7 p.m., a time where many students are not supervised because their parents are still at work. “Kids need more things to do instead of getting in trouble and not focusing on their studies,” she said.
Outside of the community board, she does whatever she can to reach out to struggling youth. She enjoys working with kids and adolescents and has plans to become a juvenile defense attorney within the next year. Queensborough currently volunteers for the prison ministry at Rikers Island. Once a year she participates in the Hope Festival, a religious based approach to reforming the mindsets of inmates. According to Queensborough, there is an alarming amount of young offenders being detained at Rikers Island.
When she visits Rikers Island, her first question is “Why are you here?” The question often results in adolescents telling her they do not have enough support from family and friends or they are in an environment that prohibits a life outside of crime. She hopes a career as a juvenile defense attorney will help prevent youth from entering a lifetime of recidivism.
Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.