Alex Gibson has dedicated more than a decade of her young life to soccer, including the past four years as a varsity letterwinner.

An outstanding student, ranked fourth in her graduating class with a 4.77 grade-point average, the South Plainfield High School senior is also extensively involved in community service and myriad extracurricular activities.

She is the recipient of a 2023 Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship, awarded to a graduating senior who has overcome adversity, strives for excellence academically and athletically, and engages in volunteerism to make a difference in the lives of others.

Despite all she’s learned and accomplished inside and outside the classroom, the soccer field has taught Gibson invaluable life lessons that have helped her persevere through Type I Diabetes, with which she was diagnosed more than six years ago.

“The pitch is preparing me for life,” said Gibson, who was South Plainfield’s team captain. “Valuable lessons, including the importance of confidence, cooperation, patience, empathy, and respect were embedded in training. However, it was the powerful skill of overcoming obstacles that would prove most potent.”

Gibson has incorporated what she’s gleaned as a competitor into her management of Type 1 Diabetes, a chronic condition for which there is no cure. In Type I Diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin, which is the hormone the body uses to allow sugar to enter cells to produce energy. Treatment revolves around managing the amount of sugar in the blood using insulin, diet, and lifestyle to prevent complications.

“Type 1 Diabetes is a competitor who never sleeps,” according to Diabetes Self-Management. “It takes a precise diet and a strict training regimen to fight it properly — things elite athletes must perfect.”

Gibson, who committed to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she will continue her athletic and academic career, did not allow her devastating diagnosis to deter her from achieving her goal of playing soccer at the next level.

“When I think of Alexandra, I think of somebody with passion for the sport,” South Plainfield head coach Craig Salvatore said. “More importantly, as a player she was extremely coachable and displayed a positive attitude on and off the field. She possessed several key assets on the soccer field as the team’s captain, including knowledge of the game, leadership and willingness to take constructive criticism.

“Her perseverance and positive attitude is evident on the field and in the classroom. I am extremely proud of her accomplishments on the field but more so of her academic accomplishments.”

A member of the National and Spanish honor societies, Gibson was enrolled in 11 honors classes and nine Advanced Placement courses. She earned an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction Award for having a 3.5 grade-point average or higher in five or more of the Advanced Placement exams she took.

“Alexandra is the definition of a well-rounded student,” said South Plainfield High School science teacher Kathleen Benton, who taught Gibson in honors biology and honors molecular biology. “She balances her schoolwork, athletics and giving back to the community. Her desire to learn and ask pointed questions ensures her position in honors and Advanced Placement-level classes. However, she is not only a star in the classroom.”

A student council representative, Gibson was a member of the high school’s Environmental Science Club, REDA (Research, Epidemiology and Disease Awareness) Club, and Passionately Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Club.

“Her dedication to the Environmental Science Club helped our school to obtain grants, educate the public about sustainability, and improve the quality of air and water at our high school,” Benton said. “In the REDA Club, Alex helped build the membership to become one of the largest, most effective clubs in school.”

Gibson’s impressive academic and athletic resume – she was also part of the prestigious New Jersey Olympic Development Soccer Program – pales in comparison to her community service, which includes involvement with more than a dozen charitable organizations and causes.

“Last year,” Benton explained, “she played a large role in organizing a wildly successful color run raising thousands of dollars for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, an organization that raises money for childhood cancer research.”

Gibson’s extensive volunteerism commenced in earnest during her sophomore year. Since then, the civic-minded teenager has, among other things, volunteered to:

  • Collect personal essentials for donation to domestic violence survivors.
  • Fill and organize backpacks with school supplies for students of low-income families.
  • Distribute hot meals to families in need.
  • Wrap holiday presents for distribution to under-resourced children.
  • Fill bags with nonperishable food items for distribution.
  • Purchase bread, peanut butter and jelly and make hundreds of sandwiches to donate to the homeless and other individuals in need.
  • Help pack, organize, and label hundreds of medical-grade FDA-approved masks for donation to local medical facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Help generate monetary donations on World Diabetes Day as a promotions team leader for the Juvenile Diabetes Association.

“Recognizing that education is crucial in the current and future battle against diabetes … I vowed to increase awareness and promote philanthropic initiatives with charitable events,” Gibson said of the endeavor perhaps closest to her heart.

“Setting up informational booths at local community health fairs has been advantageous, and I have led numerous fundraisers for diabetic research. Seizing opportunities to unite peers in the fight keeps the torch of progress glowing brightly.”

Gibson and her South Plainfield teammates participated each of the past two years in the Greater Middlesex Conference Soccer for a Cause Charity Festival, which raised thousands of dollars for Go4TheGoal to fight pediatric cancer and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

“Alexandra’s motivation and drive position her far ahead of her peers,” Benton said. “She strives to improve herself and everyone around her.

“Alexandra tries hard to be the best she can be and motivates others to do their best as well. She is certain to be successful in all she chooses to do.”