Emma Figueiredo is entering nursing school at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall. Her volunteer work at St. Thomas Aquinas High School prepared her well.

The senior, who hails from South Plainfield and was captain of the Trojans’ girls swimming team, was a driving force in the Aquinas Star program – for which the student body sponsors two chronically or terminally ill children and their families for the school year. She took it a step further this year, organizing a “Hoops for Heart” basketball tournament at the school to benefit the American Heart Association and the kids, one of which has a heart condition.

“I’m really excited to help people in whatever way I can,” she said.

That spirit is why Figueiredo is a recipient of a Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship.

“Emma stands out for her character,” swim team coach and athletics director Matthew Silvestri wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She represents the very best of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and embodies what it truly means to be a model student-athlete.”

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation presents the scholarship in honor of its namesake to exceptional high school student-athletes who support the nonprofit’s mission of assisting pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

Born with a severe cardiac defect, Marisa survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.

Since its inception in 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated nearly $450,000, including $42,000 in scholarships, plus thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies, children’s books and school supplies.

“I’m so grateful to receive this honor,” Figueiredo said.

Owner of a 4.5 grade point average, Figueiredo began competitive swimming relatively late, at age 12, but caught up to speed quickly and became one of the Trojans’ top competitors in the freestyle and butterfly. Her leadership extended beyond the pool to the Aquinas Star program. She helped organize the school-wide spaghetti dinner for the sponsored families in the fall, a Christmas mass in December, and an Easter egg hunt in April. She also tapped a connection to score premium-level New Jersey Devils tickets for the family of one of the children, who is a huge hockey fan.

“Being able to make an ill child’s Christmas wish come true fulfilled me in more ways than I can ever express,” Figueiredo said.

In the spring, at the suggestion of a teacher, she co-chaired the revival of Hoops for Heart, which before the pandemic had been a thriving annual event at St. Thomas Aquinas for the American Heart Association. When the Aquinas Star child with a heart condition showed up, Figueiredo presented him with special gift.

“All the basketball players showed up and signed a banner for him,” she said.

These are the little things that can make a big difference for someone. That’s why Figueiredo wants to be a nurse. For the past two years she’s volunteered at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, answering patients’ call bells on the post-surgical floor.

“Seeing what the nurses did, how they helped people, made me realize, ‘This is what I want to do,’” she said.

In more ways than one, she’s been doing it already.