Stephanie Márquez-Villafañe
Congratulations are in order to three Community Leaders in Perth Amboy. At the young age of 20, Stephanie Márquez-Villafañe can rightfully take her place as a newly elected Board of Education Member. To put it mildly, she has earned her dues. Stephanie has always voiced her opinions because as a student she felt it was important to be heard. She would constructively challenge the Board of Education Members when it came to issues that she felt would be best for the students.
Board Member Obi Gonzalez
Stephanie was the founder of the United Messengers of Peace.
From the 11/21/13 issue of the Amboy Guardian: The Messengers of Peace, a student-run non-profit organization held their first meeting at Perth Amboy High School on Thursday, August 15. The group consists of Honors Students who want to voice their concerns on the redefinition/elimination of the Honors programs in the Perth Amboy Public School System. The students: Rafael Tafur, May Bileye, Stephanie Rodriguez (President and Founder), Rosemary Nivar, Henry Rosado, Haliee Baez, Maitta Harris and Randy Rivas all spoke. They presented their feelings and concerns about how eliminating the Honors Programs in the early grades and grades 9th & 10th would affect them.
Aside from the United Messengers of Peace, Stephanie went on to speak about issues involving all the students as a whole, no matter what program they were in.
At one Board of Education Meeting Stephanie emphasized academic achievement was just as important as athletic achievement. I found her to be a young lady with a old soul.
When Stephanie spoke at Board of Education or City Council Meetings, she never held back her feelings.
Recently, this past year before she became an active candidate for the Board of Education, she was instrumental in having the Council Meetings (because the elevator was not working) moved to facilities that were ADA accessible.
Board Member and Councilwoman-Elect Milady Tejeda
Stephanie was also fortunate enough to have a strong mother (Nilda Rivera) backing her up. Nilda knows that when Stephanie wants to go for something, there’s no stopping her.
Even though Stephanie had transferred as an out-of-district student to Colonia High School where she graduated in 2016, she still attended the Perth Amboy Board of Education Meetings.
As a Board of Education Member, this is only a natural continuance of Stephanie’s service to the community.
Congratulations are also in order to outgoing Board of Education Member Obdulia (Obi) Gonzalez who did not seek reelection after serving on the Board for 9 years. She has chosen to spend more time with her granddaughter. Obi Gonzalez has served as a calming voice of reason as a Board Member.
Before she was a Board Member, Gonzalez was a Guidance Counselor at Perth Amboy High School which made her a valuable Member of the Board.
Milady Tejeda has recently served as Vice-President of the Board of Education. She has proven to be very popular with the students, teachers, and administration and has attended many school functions which highlighted the students in each grade level.
As she joins the City Council, she will become a valuable bridge between both entities (the Board of Education and City Council). As Milady Tejeda has stated previously, she came here as a teenager from the Dominican Republic and made the most of the opportunities that the United States offered to become successful.
What all three of these women have in common is that they wish the best for the students and the community as a whole. That’s all that we can ask for. C.M.
Stephanie (Rodriguez) Márquez-Villafañe (far left) leads the United Messengers of Peace at their first open meeting at Perth Amboy High School *File Photo 2013 at 8/15/13 United Messengers of Peace Meeting
