Honoring Ocean County’s ‘Magnificent 38′

The group includes six valedictorians and four salutatorians, outstanding athletes, talented musicians and singers, school and community leaders and on and on. They are the 38 young men and women who have been honored during this school year as WOBM/Gateway Toyota Students of the Week. 

Going back to September we have saluted an Ocean County high school senior each week with an on-air tribute and framed certificate.  They represent 18 schools as well as the MATES and Performing Arts Academy of the Ocean County Vocational School District.

All 38 will be graduating shortly or in the case of Donovan Catholic’s Jenna Panek and Kristen Bell graduated last night because you’re the first ones you get an extra shout-out.  Of course school days are not over as all are headed to college and many will follow that up with grad school and beyond.  Their career plans are as diverse as they are….doctors and lawyers, nursing, computer science and film, chemical engineering, music, education, finance and more.

I started this program in 1996 as we are concluding our 19^th year and I wish I had saved the names of all the honorees which totals nearly 700.  The first ones are now in their mid to late 30’s and hopefully living up to the promise they showed as teenagers.  The idea was to highlight the very best our schools have to offer and a local business shared that vision.  Gateway Toyota came on board as our exclusive sponsor 19 years ago and they are still with us today and hopefully will partner with us next year when we celebrate our 20^th anniversary.

Too many times we hear and see in the news stories about the bad things some young people are doing so it’s nice that each week we can highlight the achievements of some of our very best.  We congratulate our “Magnificent 38” for what they’ve already accomplished and wish them the very best in the future.

As we have done in the past today we conducted a random drawing of the 38 weekly winners.  Harry Van Wagenen of Point Pleasant Borough High School to receive a $1,000 college scholarship from Gateway Toyota and 92.7 WOBM. Watch the drawing below!