West Essex named its five ShopRite Stars for Marking Period 1. Here are their accomplishments and reactions to their accolade, which includes $1,000 donated in their names to Project Graduation.

Alyssa Cristobal: Service to the Community

Cristobal is an avid volunteer for clubs in her community. She is the vice president of Key Club, a fundraising chair for Rho Kappa, a member of the National Honor Society and volunteers for the Passaic Police Department in the summer. Cristobal spends countless hours volunteering for Key Club and collaborating with other officers to coordinate events.

“I love seeing other people’s reactions to the community service being done, and it’s great to see people enjoy what is being done for them,” Cristobal said. She plans to continue with Key Club and start work on new projects in college.

Lauren Moskal: Leadership

Moskal takes leadership very seriously, as seen by her work as supervisor of the tutoring program for the National Honor Society, Student Council Vice President, Quiz Bowl captain and co-treasurer of the Spanish club. Moskal describes herself as a people person and says she tries to please her peers while still doing what needs to be done.

“I’m extremely proud and honored to receive this award,” Moskal said. “I know what is expected of me, and I plan to continue my leadership into college.”

Julia Russo: Athletics

Russo plays field hockey and lacrosse for West Essex and has been an exceptional athlete throughout her high school career. Although she loves both sports, field hockey takes the cake as her favorite. From winning the 2016 state championship, 2016 Tournament of Champions, and getting her 100th goal, she has been a standout player in the program.

“Winning the TOC my junior year was my biggest accomplishment, since it was the first time in history the West Essex Field Hockey program had won,” Russo said. She plans to continue her field hockey career at the University of Pennsylvania.

Paige Wasserman: The Arts

Wasserman fell in love with the arts back in the third grade, and for as long as she can remember, she has loved to perform. She participated in the school’s productions of “Legally Blonde” and “The Little Mermaid.” Wasserman is president of SATB Choir and is currently doing an independent study directing and arranging the Chordettes, the school’s all girls choir.

Wasserman is also part of the Papermill Broadway Choir, a group that won the People’s Choice Award for best vocal group. “My ideal dream is to be a Broadway star,” Wasserman said. She plans to major in theater or acting going forward in college and beyond.

Kaan Avci: Academics

Avci has been a standout student at West Essex throughout his four years. Among his proudest academic achievements: Consistently earning straight A’s each year; handling a total of 15 AP courses; and earning the national Rensselaer Medal his junior year, a prestigious scholarship for Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute. One of Avci’s favorite classes is AP Literature. “I love literature because it’s good to talk about how people feel to learn about others’ thoughts and how people communicate with one another,” Avci said.

Avci plans to continue his academic achievements by studying biomedical engineering and developing technological research.