Fair Haven Teen Awarded Top Scholarship From NJCTS

SOMERVILLE, NJ (June 4, 2020) – On Thursday, in honor of Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day, NJCTS presented fourteen scholarship awards to graduating New Jersey seniors. One top recipient was Jacob Gerbman, 18, of Fair Haven.

NJCTS awarded scholarships to high school seniors with Tourette Syndrome (TS) - a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by uncontrollable movements known as tics. As many as 1 in 100 people show signs of TS or other tic disorder which is frequently accompanied by mental health disorders including ADHD, OCD, and anxiety.

Jacob was diagnosed with TS in the fourth grade. “Tourettes has changed more than how I live my life, it has changed me as a person, as well as how I view the world and others around me,” says Jacob in his award winning essay. Jacob discovered NJCTS, and became a Youth Advocate, raising more than $8,000 in a single event. “If I could say anything to my Tourettes now, it would simply be this, ‘because I knew you, I have been changed for good,’” Jacob is a graduate of Rumson – Fair Haven Regional High School and will be attending Hofstra University in the fall.

“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.”

NJCTS, the nation’s first Center of 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.

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