João José John Santos Charitable Organization

~ Congratulations to our 2026 Scholarship Winners ~

We were honored to present the João José 'John' Santos Memorial Scholarships to the following ten deserving High School seniors at our 3rd Walk for Suicide Prevention held on June 7th at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater, NJ.

These hardworking students' lives have been touched by Suicide Loss and/or Mental Health Struggles, are continuing their education, have excellent academics achievements and community service. In the 500-word essay that is required, the students wrote about their career goals, their lived experience with the impact of suicide loss/mental health, lessons they learned and what stigma means to them and how to reduce it.

Kayma Brooks

Plainfield High School

Camila Lago-Giuffra

Kearny High School

Bronwey Downey

Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Avery Fulton

Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Fisher Grabell

Bridgewater/Raritan High School

Maryann Martinez

Bridgewater/Raritan High School

Julia Netta

Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Aaron Oberti

Bridgewater/Raritan High School

Isaac Rodriguez

Kearny High School

Karolina Torbus

Bridgewater/Raritan High School

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*A Special Surprise from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill*

The students were honored to receive a Special Letter from NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill Congratulating them for their Achievements, Strength, Perseverance. Letter / Video

Special gratitude to Co-Founder of Pathways Forward, a Certified Spiritual Life Coach & a Certified Career Coach, a Holistic Health & Wellness Advocate Alissa Haas for sharing her courageous, inspirational personal story of overcoming childhood traumas. Lived experiences of a very depressed, addicted & suicidal Father.

And a special thank you to our sponsors.