CHS Sophomore Alyssa Garofalo Earns Ben Carson Scholarship

In recognition of her academic accomplishments and volunteer service, Alyssa Garofalo earned a Ben Carson Scholarship, which she will apply toward college.

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Posted Thursday, April 18, 2019 8:59 am

By Maya Pottiger

When Alyssa Garofalo was called down to the office, she didn’t know what was going on.

Her counselor told her that a few teachers nominated Alyssa for the Ben Carson Scholarship, which she officially received on March 1.

“I was really excited, but I was very doubtful,” Alyssa said. “My mom kept saying, ‘Stop doubting yourself! You’ll get it, you’ll get it.’”

Alyssa said her mom, Angela Garofalo Davis, helped motivate her.

“I was just cheering her on,” Garofalo Davis said. “I said there was only one child nominated out of the whole school.”

The Ben Carson Scholarship awards students who are excelling academically and are dedicated to serving their communities. In 2019, 505 students across the country earned the scholarship. The scholarship awards each student $1,000 to invest in higher education.

“I don’t know where I want to go yet, but I want to be a pediatric surgeon,” Alyssa said. “That’s a lot of schooling, so it will definitely be useful wherever I decide to go.”

Alyssa has been interested in the medical field for as long as she can remember. She’s wanted to be an oncologist, an obstetrical nurse and then switched to wanting to be a doctor.

She attributes her interest in the field to her childhood, during which she was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor in her right kidney. Alyssa is now a 12-year cancer survivor.

“I don’t really remember it. I know it happened, but I like to think it doesn’t influence what I do now,” Alyssa said. “I like to think I’d still do it even if I never got sick.”

Now, Alyssa stays engaged in her school community. She is an active member of the Best Buddies program, which partners students with special needs peers.

“I love everything about Best Buddies,” Alyssa said. “You can be yourself and no one is going to say, ‘You look weird for doing that’ or ‘You can’t say this.’ You can do whatever you want, and that’s accepted and loved.”

Outside of Best Buddies, Alyssa is also involved in mentoring and the Unified Sports teams, which allows her to spend more time with the same group of students.

“I was trying something new,” Alyssa said. “It really stuck with me, and now every student in that class is one of my best friends.”

Alyssa is helping to plan Bikes and Buddies, an event in partnership with the Chosen Sons Motorcycle Club of Pasadena. Her stepdad, Jim Davis, is part of the club.

“When I was 4 and I was sick, they had a benefit for me similar to the one we’re doing now, and they raised a lot of money for me,” Alyssa said. “This is only our second year of the club, so this way we can raise money.”

Bikes and Buddies will be held at American Legion Post 277 at 7376 Carbide Road in Curtis Bay on May 11 from 1:00pm-5:00pm.

“She’s giving back, and that’s good,” Garofalo Davis said. “She’s a good kid.”

On May 5, Alyssa will attend the Carson Scholars Fund 23rd annual awards banquet at Martin’s West in Baltimore.