PARSIPPANY — Realtor Jacqueline Scura (of RE/MAX First Choice in Parsippany) announced the recipient of the 2016 “Jackie Scura’s Chance for Success” scholarship is Sarah Ansari of Parsippany High School.
Ms. Scura’s scholarship is not strictly a recognition of academic achievement or athletic skill. Instead, this scholarship is an acknowledgement of an exceptional work ethic and drive for personal and professional success. 30 years in Real Estate have taught Jackie the rewards of hard work and determination, and with this scholarship, she hopes to encourage ambitious local students to pursue their own goals.
Parsippany High Senior, Sarah Ansari submitted an application which showed exactly the kind of promise Jackie was looking for. Sarah has excelled academically throughout her high school career, receiving honors and taking college level coursework whenever possible, but what sets her apart is her willingness to go out in the world and act on goals she formed very early in life. After losing her grandmother to cancer, Sarah saw how many other lives around her were touched by the same disease – including a fellow student and a teacher in her school. This led to an interest in studying medicine and the pharmaceutical research being done to combat cancer.
Those are common goals, but Sarah is not a common girl, so she decided to take a more hands on approach to learning about medicine. At 14, she joined the Parsippany First Aid Squad and got a first hand look at what it is to care for people in her community. By 16, she was old enough to join an active duty squad and offer direct support as a Junior EMT. In her time on the squad, Sarah was voted onto the board of the Youth Squad and used her influence to run fundraisers and bring the Youth Squad budget from $20.00 to almost $2000.00.
This experience gave Sarah far more than a look at medicine – it gave her the chance to step outside of her comfort zone and grow as a person. Before joining the squad, Sarah describes herself as a “timid, wavering teenager”, but now “with encouragement from my parents and the acquisition of over 1000 service hours, I’ve flourished as a person and found my calling.”
Sarah will be attending Boston College this coming fall and taking a pre-med course load. She still wants to both practice medicine and engage in cancer research, but most of all she wants to make her contribution in this world. There’s no doubt that she will succeed.
