Mount Saint Mary Academy Senior, Nicole Parisi, receives UNICO Scholar Athlete Award

Nicole Parisi ‘24 was awarded the Brian Piccolo Scholar Athlete Award by the UNICO National NJ District X, The Plainfields’ Chapter during an award ceremony on Sunday, April 14, at the Gran Centurions Banquet Hall in Clark. Award winners from all the Unico NJ District X chapters were honored. Nicole was one of two winners from The Plainfields’ chapter.

The award is given to high school athletes in pursuit of higher education and who demonstrate qualities similar to Brian Piccolo such as courage, friendship, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, humor and anti-bias. Applicants must be graduating high school athletes with both academic and athletic achievements. The UNICO Plainfields’ Chapter Brian Piccolo Committee Chairman is Robert Bengivenga. The Chapter President is Debbie Boyle, and the UNICO NJ District X Governor is April Bengivenga.

Nicole has been a member of the MSMA cross country team for four years and the spring track team for three years. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, the National Latin Honor Society, and the Tri-M National Music Honor Society.  She is involved in the music program as both a cellist in the instrumental program, and handbell ringer and she is a member of both Chorale and the audition-only a capella group GraceNotes.

Her extra-curricular activities at MSMA include founder and president of the American Sign Language (ASL) Club, peer facilitator, co-leader of Helping People Everywhere (HOPE) Club, co-leader of Women’s Empowerment Club. Mount Theater Crew and the Environmental Club.

Outside of the MSMA, Nicole has been a Girl Scout for 13 years and has run numerous activities and community service projects over the years. She is a member of her church youth group, sings in the youth choir and plays handbells in the youth handbell choir. For the past three summers, Nicole has participated in a weeklong Habitat For Humanity trip to Roanoke, Va. to build houses with her church youth group. In youth group she is an active participant in many activities and community service events that address food insecurity and homelessness.

In the fall, Nicole will attend Ursinus College where she will be a member of the cross country and track and field teams. At Ursinus, Nicole was also selected as one of 15 students (out of 500 applicants) to be an ABELE Scholar. An Abele Scholar makes a difference in their life and the lives of others by pursuing excellence, valuing diversity of all kinds, being civically engaged, and serving their communities as a leader who commits to honoring the legacy of Benjamin Franklin’s belief in paying it forward.