Hillsborough’s Maya Wagner Earns Top Scholarship from NJCTS

One year since the Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day was instituted in New Jersey, the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Inc. (NJCTS) celebrated with an awards ceremony at the War Memorial in Trenton on Thursday, June 6. During the ceremony, NJCTS presented fifteen scholarships to graduating New Jersey seniors, including Maya Wagner, 18, of Hillsborough.

Scholarships were given by NJCTS to accomplished high school seniors who live with Tourette Syndrome (TS)—an inherited, neurological disorder that affects 1 in 100 individuals.

Maya struggled with her TS diagnoses at first, but found peace in something that she had always enjoyed: music. She shared her original songs with friends and peers and discovered how helpful her music is not just to herself, but to others also. She states, “Rather than focus on the negative, I am choosing to focus on the fact that, without TS, I wouldn’t have discovered my love of music, and my passion for speaking out,” In the fall Maya will be attending the World’s leading contemporary music institution, Berklee College of Music.

“We could not be more proud of these young men and woman and all that they have accomplished during their high school career,” said Faith Rice, Executive Director of NJCTS. “They have shown that TS does not have to hold you back. We wish them well in college and in all of their future endeavors.”

Maya’s scholarship winning essay can be found at www.njcts.org/teens4ts.

The NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, the nation’s first Center for Excellence for Tourette Syndrome, is a not-for-profit organization committed to the advocacy of children and families with Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders. Dedicated to delivering high quality services to these individuals, the Center recognizes the importance of educating the public, medical professionals, and teachers about this disorder through programs and affiliations with public schools, health centers, and universities. To learn more about Tourette Syndrome and the programs available from NJCTS, visit www.njcts.org.