As a student-athlete at Edison High School, from which she recently graduated, Nadyeh Alaboura was an unsung hero in the classroom and on the playing field.
“To Edison High she is one of those quiet leaders, those young people that just always conduct themselves with class and grace,” Edison High School Principal Charles Ross said.
“She is the type of young lady that just goes about her business the right way, always working hard in the classroom, always doing what she is supposed to do and putting that extra effort to get better.”
Nadyeh, who was named the high school’s homecoming queen and received multiple honors during Edison’s Senior Awards ceremony, is the latest recipient of a Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship.
“The kids that voted her homecoming queen – it’s about who she is why they gave it to her,” Ross said. “Anybody that she meets she is just good to and friendly with.”
Nadyeh, who previously lived in Jordan and Colombia, moved eight years ago to the United States, where she not only mastered English, but became so proficient in French that she was inducted into the French National Honor Society.
“She came into Edison (Public Schools) to make the most of her opportunities,” Ross said of Nadyeh, who will study Political Science at Saint Peter’s University. “She’s talented and smart.”
Nadyeh may not have been the biggest star on Edison’s track and field team, but she played an integral role in numerous facets, doing whatever she could to contribute as a runner and thrower during the winter and spring seasons.
“Nadyeh is a leader of her peers and other students,” Edison head cross country and assistant spring track and field coach Patrick McCaffery said.
“Because she is serious and focused and her achievements set the standards for others’ performances, younger athletes frequently come to her for help and guidance. Nadyeh has risen to that task with honesty and maturity. She is helpful and kind and garners the respect of others.”
A combined three-time recipient of the indoor and outdoor program’s “Coach’s Award,” Nadyeh was named captain of the spring track and field team as a senior.
“Nadyeh came to the track and field team as a sophomore and quickly showed herself to be a very hard working, athletic young woman and born leader,” McCaffery said. “Despite not having the fastest times on the track when she first joined the team, Nadyeh was among the most consistent and determined athletes. Because of her efforts and diligence, Nadyeh came to contribute to the varsity team’s success on the track wherever she could. She later found her track and field niche with the throws. Nadyeh (was) among our top three performers in all of the three throwing events. During the fall season of her senior year, when track and field focuses on the long distance running of cross country, Nadyeh put down her throwing implements and significantly contributed to that varsity squad.”
Nadyeh was recently named a recipient of the Denise and Art Rostel Cross Country Scholarship, named after the legendary former Edison High School coach and his beloved wife, who passed away five years ago.
A four-year member of Edison’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, Nadyeh exceeded its annual community service commitment, going above and beyond to help others in the school community. She was recognized as an AVID Student of the Month.
“She is always amiable and friendly,” one of Nadyeh’s teachers wrote in a letter of recommendation on her behalf.
“She shows a genuine concern for anyone around her and is truly communicative. She is a hard-working, ambitious young woman who will meet and beat any challenges that she faces.”
The oldest of five children, Ross said Nadyeh is an outstanding role model to her younger siblings and all with who she comes in contact.
“She’s the one,” Ross said, “that sets the example for everybody.