By Rakhi Kundra’17, News Editor

While we may be spending our time following the accomplishments of our favorite sports teams or listening to the new music from our favorite bands, there are students in our own community who are accomplishing the same things that we attribute to popular athletes and artists.  This summer, Josh Charow’s (2016) and Jocelyn Willoughby’s (2016) talents were showcased on the big stage.

It would be hard to find a student or teacher in the hallway at NA who has not heard about Jocelyn’s love for basketball.  Since she was in the 2^nd grade, Jocelyn has played basketball competitively inside –and outside — of school.  When asked why she loves the sport so much, she said, “It gives you the opportunity to meet some really cool people. I’ve been blessed to have great teammates and great coaches.  Also, seeing my growth over time has been really rewarding.”  She spent her summer traveling around with her AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team, visiting 4 states, winning 3 tournaments, and losing only one game during the entire summer.

Not only was Jocelyn very successful on her team, but she was also, as an individual player, awarded with some rather large accomplishments.  Jocelyn was named MVP of the tournament that her team won in Nashville, and she was also named MVP of the Elite 24 Girls All-Star Game that was held in Charlotte.  But Jocelyn’s success did not end there.  She went on to be featured in the “Faces in the Crowd” section of Sports Illustrated Magazine, which has featured famous athletes such as Billie Jean King, Tiger Woods, and Andy Roddick.  She is currently being recruited to play in college, and some of her long-term goals include scoring her 2,000th point this year, playing in the WNBA, making the Olympic team, and hopefully getting the opportunity to play professionally overseas. Jocelyn thinks that in order for anyone to stick with a sport to the extent that she has, he or she has to be really determined and motivated.  She said, “You have to know why you’re doing it, and have a purpose or reason.  It can be that you just love it or that there is something you want to get out of it”.  Clearly, Jocelyn has demonstrated extreme determination and motivation.

While Jocelyn was shooting hoops this summer, Josh was becoming a showcased photographer.  Josh became interested in photography 4 years ago, but only really started taking it seriously last year.  He likes to photograph cityscapes, rooftops, and subways.

This summer, about 30 pieces of Josh’s photography were showcased in an exhibition at 70 South Gallery in Morristown, New Jersey for six weeks.  The same exhibit is going to be a pop-up show in Chelsea in early December.  Photography is something that takes up a lot of Josh’s time, filling up his weekends and even a few hours during the week.  Like Jocelyn’s athletic skills, Josh’s artistic talents have also found their place at Newark Academy.  He said, “I usually like to do photography as a thing outside of NA because I think it’s important we pursue different things in our free time. However, it’s definitely leaked into my life at NA, as I’m the arts editor of Prisms and the media editor of The Minuteman. It’s a hobby that comes in handy because someone always needs photo work done”.

Not only is it extremely impressive that Josh and Jocelyn have pursued their talents and interests to such degrees of success, but it is also inspiring to see that members of our own community are capable of this high of achievement.  Our school is filled with talented students, and Josh and Jocelyn are a representation of just how gifted our community is.  Make sure to stop by at a basketball game this winter to see Jocelyn play, and check out Josh’s exhibit in Chelsea.