Senior Malachi Stoll was awarded the Children of the Dream Award on Martin Luther King Day for his exceptional participation in the community and his work dealing with social justice.

The award was presented at Montgomery County’s 20th Anniversary Birthday Tribute and Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. held at the Strathmore in Rockville. Stoll, along with two other recipients, was awarded at the ceremony for carrying on King’s legacy.

Stoll said his work with his nonprofit organization Goals for Justice and a mentorship program with business leaders and the congressional black caucus were what made him a candidate for the award.

Stoll has always looked up to and idolized King – and he decided to take action on social issues in his honor.

“After reading his book ‘Strength to Love’ sophomore year, I knew that I wanted to start working on social action projects,” Stoll said.

Principal Alan Goodwin was with Stoll when he received the award.

“Malachi is a very deserving student,” Goodwin said. “He has been a positive influence at school and in the community.”

Also at the ceremony were various community leaders including County Executive Isiah Leggett and representative Chris Van Hollen.

“The ceremony was very nice, and being able to meet and interact with the dignitaries there served as wonderful experience,” Stoll said.

But to Stoll, it’s not just about winning the award; it was about fulfilling King’s desire to create the world he envisioned over 40 years ago.

“MLK has always been a figure that I have looked up to, and winning an award in honor of him means a lot,” Stoll said.