Marisa’s father, Greg, was privileged to deliver the keynote address at the 33rd annual Middlesex County Student Recognition Program, where the Middlesex County School Boards Association and the Middlesex County Association of School Administrators honored 68 high school juniors and seniors as unsung heroes during a heart-touching awards program. Lori Luicci, district public relations coordinator for Old Bridge Public Schools, which hosted the event, wrote a wonderful story about the ceremony. Below is a transcript of the speech Greg was fortunate to share with more than 400 attendees on Wednesday night, followed by the names of all the honorees.
As the father of a beautiful girl who overcame medical challenges, the founder of a nonprofit established in her loving memory to assist children in need, and a journalist privileged to author compelling human-interest stories, I am blessed with a unique perspective regarding the remarkable students we celebrate tonight.
In addition to a listing of the 68 honorees – each of whom has a unique and inspirational story we’ll learn more about later – the program book for Middlesex County’s 33rd annual student recognition ceremony contains a message from Dr. Linda Madison that encapsulates why we are gathered here this evening.
“We pause to recognize a group of students we have come to identify as the unsung heroes among our collective high school students. The students we honor during this event, although deserving, may not receive the mainstream attention their individual stories warrant.”
During this academic year, I had the honor of introducing Home News Tribune readers to a trio of unsung heroes including Woodbridge’s Patrick Petro, a football team manager with Down Syndrome who was crowned homecoming king; Perth Amboy’s Sebastian Velasquez, a football player with special needs who scored a touchdown in a game; and Colonia’s Emily Fernandez, a student with autism who earned a varsity letter in girls volleyball.
Emily inspired former teammate Kelly Mitch, now a college student, to become a special education teacher, illustrating the impact unsung heroes can have on their peers.
“Being with Emily and seeing how much of a difference we can make just by being a friend and being there for her on bad days and good days really solidified it for me,” Kelly said of her career choice. “Emily really opened my eyes and made me realize things you go through that really upset you – in hindsight – are so small in comparison to the challenges she faces every day. My classmates really got to watch her transform as a player and a person. She changed us so much.”
The heart-touching stories of Emily, Sebastian, Patrick and all those we celebrate tonight share common themes: They illustrate the importance of inclusion, overcoming adversity, perseverance, learning from one another, teamwork, embracing differences, camaraderie, and, in a nutshell, capture the quintessence of our honorees.
I have authored many similar stories during my career, but until last January never publicly shared one about my own teenage daughter, Marisa.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa lived a vibrant life that inspired. A private person, Marisa rarely discussed her medical condition, in part because she did not want it to define her, but largely because she did not want it to prevent her from being like other kids. Marisa was an honor roll student and participated in extracurricular activities too numerous to mention. The role outstanding educators and classmates in Edison Township Public Schools played in Marisa’s complete development can never be overstated. Just as I am told Marisa inspired others with her mere presence in the classroom, Marisa similarly benefitted from the compassion of her peers, who were never privy to the details of her medical condition, but who were precociously aware that Marisa traveled a different path through school, one that included a 504 accommodation plan and stretches of home instruction. I will remain eternally grateful for the impact teachers and students made on my daughter’s life, and hope every single one of tonight’s honorees has enjoyed a similarly wonderful academic experience.
Marisa was born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries. Following the sixth operation, Marisa developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. The transplant was performed at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City, which 34 years ago performed the nation’s first successful pediatric heart transplant. Marisa’s surgery lasted 19 hours and is believed to be among the longest bypass runs in the hospital’s history. She was on life support for two weeks, in intensive care for 40 days and hospitalized another month before being discharged with the promise of a better life. One month later, however, Marisa was diagnosed with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, more commonly known as “transplant cancer.” Chemotherapy and radiation treatments failed to thwart the relentless onslaught of a rare and aggressive disease that riddled her brain and body. The transplant that was expected to save Marisa’s life tragically cut it short. She died following a valiant battle at the age of 13. Marisa would have been a freshman at Edison High School this year.
Marisa’s courage and indomitable spirit live on through the overwhelming generosity of others who have donated time or money to the tax-exempt nonprofit my wife, Cyndi, and I founded less than eight months ago. Since its inception, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has already made a profound impact, assisting Middlesex County children in need. Our foundation has funded art therapy for pediatric patients at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, provided brand new bunk beds for underserved summer campers at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, gifted supplies for an aquatics center students with disabilities utilize at the Lakeview School, funded physical therapy for children whose families health insurer does not cover such costs, helped fulfill a cancer-stricken toddler’s Make-A-Wish vacation to Walt Disney World, provided scholarships and assisted children in a myriad of other ways.
Staff and students from countless schools across Middlesex County – several of whom are being honored tonight and have worn T-shirts or wristbands bearing our foundation’s moniker and mission statement – have organized or participated in fundraisers and events for our nonprofit.
All of those endeavors allow Marisa’s legacy to be one of helping others, while simultaneously affording Cyndi and me the opportunity to give back to hospitals and organizations which provided our daughter and others with extraordinary love and care.
The kickoff event for our foundation, a toy drive for pediatric patients, which took place right here in Old Bridge at the start of the academic year, illustrates how a school-community working together and inspired by others can create pure magic. Please allow me to set the incredible scene from that toy drive, painting a picture with words.
A little girl among the throng of spectators making their way inside Lombardi Field for the Old Bridge football team’s September 8th game against South Brunswick stuck out her tongue to catch the white flakes that gently cascaded from a snow-making machine positioned near the stadium’s entrance. The wide-eyed girl turned the corner to find a live reindeer and his handler, who was dressed as “Yukon Cornelius” of Rudolph fame. The child gazed with delight at the spectacle of holiday decorations that transformed the football field into a winter wonderland. The site caused her to wonder aloud with amazement why season’s greetings were taking place out of season on a gorgeous late summer evening. Oversized candy canes lined the walkway to the concessions stand, super-sized stockings hung from the top of silver bleachers, garland adorned the handrails, and dozens of wreaths were strategically placed throughout the stadium. A 15-foot tall “Frosty the Snowman” was perched outside the stadium gate alongside a huge box truck covered with alternating rows of red and green wrapping paper that provided a temporary home for an interminable stream of donated toys. The high school marching band greeted spectators, playing a medley of holiday songs outside the stadium entrance. The entire Old Bridge student section, hundreds strong, was clad in purple and white Santa hats, reflecting the school’s colors. Their spirited presence was felt throughout the home bleachers, which were filled to capacity, forcing an overflow crowd to congregate in an area behind the scoreboard. In one of the most powerful scenes of the evening, two dozen firefighters from the South Old Bridge Fire Company formed a human chain, passing countless presents from a yellow fire engine to volunteers perched inside the overflowing box truck.
A week later, players and cheerleaders from Old Bridge and South Brunswick high schools delivered the thousands of donated toys to Middlesex County’s two largest children’s hospitals.
The toy drive is obviously a grandiose example of the comparatively microcosmic magical events that transpire in anonymity each day throughout the schools of the students we celebrate tonight. Regardless of their magnitude, all of them illustrate the difference a school-community can make, and reflect how those facing challenges can motivate others to serve a greater good.
As Debbie Boyle eloquently wrote on behalf of the Middlesex County School Boards Association in tonight’s program book, “We work to ensure all our students in Middlesex County Public Schools are given the opportunities to reach their highest potential – to acquire a zest for life and learning, to believe in themselves, and to confidently be contributors to our communities and our world.”
Every individual in this room – especially our honorees and their parents or guardians – plays an integral role in transforming their schools into learning environments where the under-publicized magic of unsung heroes occurs daily.
I happen to know a certain angel who benefited from such magic while alive, and who continues to reap its rewards through a foundation bearing her name now that she is in heaven.
Thank you for allowing me to experience some of that magic once again tonight.
The honorees:
Edwin Adongo, NuView Academy Annex; Owais Aftab, Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences; Santos Arocho, Colonia High School; Branden Barnes, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools, Piscataway Campus; Andrew Beamer, Princeton Regional High School; Joey Camlet, North Brunswick High School; J’Mi D. Cassagnol, Middlesex High School; Jazzara Checo, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School; Dazzlyn Cosme, Perth Amboy High School; Erika Crowdell, South River High School.
Also, Jason Cullen, Academy Learning Center, Alyssa DePinto, Carteret High School; Darshit Desai, John F. Kennedy Memorial High School; Jose Dominguez, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools, Piscataway School of Career Development; Kevin Duran, New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School; Brianna Espinosa, North Brunswick High School; Nicholas Fisher, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools – Piscataway School of Career Development; Mary Fouad, Spotswood High School; Nyle Gardner, Piscataway Regional Day School; Evan Gartner, South River High School; Nicholas Gay, South Amboy High School; Valentina Gil, Piscataway High School; Samuel Harshburger, Princeton Regional High School; Sohaib Hassan, John P. Stevens High School; Tamera Hutchinson, Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences.
Also, Erika Jimenez, New Brunswick High School; Tyra Johnson, Center for Lifelong Learning; Erika Karafa, Woodbridge High School; Branden Kenny, South Brunswick High School; Amen Khan, Sayreville War Memorial High School; Robert Kopac, Edison High School; Ariella Kushner, John P. Stevens High School; Michael Lapczynski, Metuchen High School; Natalie Lizak, Dunellen High School; Louise Lu, Highland Park High School; Katelyn Martinez, New Brunswick High School; Naomi Martinez, Spotswood High School; Connor McCabe, Sayreville War Memorial High School; Thomas Meagher-DiEllo, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools – East Brunswick Campus; Sheyla Merino, New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School.
And, Edward Migliore, South Brunswick High School; Stephannie Morin, Edison High School; Noor Nasir, East Brunswick High School; Nnamdi Nnanna, Bring Beginning Learning Center; Brandon O’Leary, South Plainfield High School; Joseph Pacheco, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools – Perth Amboy Campus; Emily Papadelias, Metuchen High School; Tanvee Patel, Academy Learning Center; Adarsh Patel, Bright Beginnings Learning Center; Vrajkumar Patel, Old Bridge High School; Jason Rauch, Piscataway Regional Day School; Nydia Rodriguez, Middlesex County Vocational & Technical Schools, Perth Amboy Campus; Daniel Rosales, NuView Academy Annex; Elizabeth Samuel, Woodbridge High School; Gabriela Sanchez, Highland Park High School; Saphire Santiago, Carteret High School; Kiera Sears, Monroe Township High School; Vaibhavi Sindha, Piscataway High School; Kayleigh Smidt, Colonia High School; Jeremiah Stevens, Perth Amboy High School; Nicole Strang, Middlesex High School; Kate Strong, Center for Lifelong Learning; Sam Tenenbaum, Monroe Township High School; Litzi Urquia-Suazo, South Plainfield High School; Anthonyjack Venetz, Old Bridge High School; Sean Volpi, Dunellen High School; Jenny Wan, East Brunswick High School; and Richard James Wood, South Amboy High School.