Mrs. New Jersey Brings "Royal Treatment" to Her Students

Eatontown, NJ - Mrs. Ambika Ragbir Alagona of Little Silver was crowned Mrs. New Jersey earlier this spring, but she has always treated her special needs students as “royalty.”

A registered nurse, Alagona works as a private duty nurse at The Hawksood School in Eatontown, New Jersey. After winning the state contest on April 10, she and her students celebrated by donning crowns together. Selected from more than 20 contestants, she will represent New Jersey in the Mrs. America pageant to be held later this year. The contest attracts women of all ages, vocations, and backgrounds.

Hawkswood School is an approved private special education school in Eatontown, for students with developmental and multiple disabilities, including autism. Hawkswood School uses evidence-based academic instruction and behavioral interventions — including Applied Behavior Analysis — to prepare students for a range of opportunities including jobs, day programs, volunteer experiences, higher education, and trade schools. For forty years, Hawkswood School has been a respected provider of high quality special education services to children with complex, multiple disabilities, including autism. Since 1976, school districts throughout central New Jersey and the shore area, and parents have trusted Hawkswood School with the special education of more than 3,000 students, ages 3 through 21.

To learn more about The Hawkswood School, and how they are “Transforming Lives, Everyday”, go to www.hawkswoodschool.net

Pictured, left to right:
Top Row - Isabel Dischler, Ambika Ragbir Alagona, R.N., Mrs. New Jersey Lia Vesce, Molly Dischler, Serafina Dapuzzo
Bottom Row - Lincoln Ogonowski, Shahairy Cortes-Cintron