Courtney O’Bryan Memorial Scholarships Awarded
Courtney O’Bryan was a delightful young woman, a passionate competitor and a loyal and loving friend. The 2011 Huntington High School alum will never be forgotten at her alma mater, where her warm smile and happy disposition left an indelible mark on everyone she encountered.
A starter on Huntington’s varsity girls’ soccer and basketball teams, Ms. O’Bryan displayed a “take no prisoners” style of play. Devoted to her studies, she was quite popular with her teachers. Her impressive intellect, magnetic personality and pleasant nature combined with an often hilarious sense of humor to win over classmates, coaches and faculty members in short order.
Ms. O’Bryan, who moved to Huntington from Lynbrook as a fifth grader, graduated near the top of her class and moved on to Penn State University, where she embraced campus life, participating in the school’s IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, better known as THON, which raises funds to battle pediatric cancer.
Over the past three-plus decades, THON has raised more than $80 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. A large chunk of the monies have been collected during so-called “canning” weekends, which see Penn State students fanning out into other cities and states to solicit donations for the THON initiative.
After visiting her family in Huntington for Thanksgiving and stopping by the Huntington High School gym to shoot baskets with her former teammates and coaches, Ms. O’Bryan returned to the Penn State campus for a week of classes.
On Friday, December 2, 2011, the Blue Devil alum was a passenger in a car on its way to Buffalo for a canning weekend to raise money for THON and pediatric cancer research. At about 8:30 p.m. the car reportedly hit an icy patch of roadway in Lewis Run in northern Pennsylvania, careening out of control, flipping over, sliding down a highway embankment and crashing into a tree.
Ms. O’Bryan, who was riding in the backseat of the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder, was mortally injured and four other students in the car were hospitalized. The accident occurred on State Road 219, about one mile south of State Route 59 according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Ms. O’Bryan’s family created a scholarship to perpetuate her memory and promote the qualities she so clearly possessed. The scholarship is awarded to one female and one male senior athlete who is college bound and who participated in more than one team sport “exemplifying character, leadership, strong school spirit and sportsmanship.”
Ceide and Castillo win O’Bryan scholarships
This year, seniors Joellen Ceide and Alex Castillo were recognized by Ms. O’Bryan’s family, which presented each of the scholar-athletes with $1,000 awards and attractive plaques at the 46th annual Blue Devil senior athletic awards dinner. Ms. Ceide is headed to James Madison University where she is interested studying biology and communications. Mr. Castillo will attend Northeastern University where he intends to study business.
A regular member of Huntington’s Honor Roll, Ms. Ceide earned fine grades while enrolled in all Advanced Placement and honors courses. Inducted into several honor societies, the teenager found the time to participate in a variety of clubs and activities, including Grandfriends, A World of Difference, student government and the Huntington Booster Club. She even volunteered at a local food pantry and soup kitchen.
Ms. Ceide earned varsity letters with the Blue Devil basketball and track teams, winning All-League honors on the hard court. She also garnered the New York State Scholar Athlete Award.
Mr. Castillo starred on Huntington’s soccer, basketball and tennis teams. A stellar student, he was on the High Honor Roll throughout high school, compiling a 102 academic average in dozens of challenging courses. The teenager was the high school’s student government president last year, capping off many years of participation in the district’s student council programs.
One of the smartest competitors in Suffolk, Mr. Castillo won Academic All-County recognition in both soccer and basketball and was a New York State Scholar Athlete Award recipient. “He always led by example and has motivated his teammates to do their very best,” said Bill O’Bryan, Courtney’s father.
While Mr. Castillo was just a freshman during Ms. O’Bryan’s senior year, the two were in a study hall together. “While I did not know her very well, I cannot remember a time when she didn’t have a big beautiful smile on her face,” Mr. Castillo said. “It is an incredible honor to receive this award. I can only hope to one day touch as many lives as she did in her life.”
Huntington Class of 2012 members Laurelle Byrne-Cody and John Deren McCarthy were the recipients of the first O’Bryan scholarship awards in 2012. Maggie Askerberg and Connor Birchard were honored last year.
“A voice of reason”
“I can remember attending this same dinner with Courtney and while she did not get any big award, she reveled in the night to honor all of those involved in the Huntington sports program,” Ms. O’Bryan’s mother, Lisa Brigandi told a crowd of about 235 at the athletic awards banquet. “That was who Courtney was. She was a cheerleader, a voice of reason, a mentor, an overachiever, a friend and mostly, that smile on the sidelines.”
Joining her mother and father at the awards presentation was Ms. O’Bryan’s stepfather, Nick Brigandi and stepmother, Diane O’Bryan and her brother, Kyle, a member of Huntington’s Class of 2014 who is headed to Penn State in the fall.
“As all of you go on to the next chapter of your lives, I hope you choose, like Courtney did, to give 100 percent,” her mother said. “Be good to those around you. Make an impact on other people’s lives. And do it all with compassion and a smile on your face.”
Huntington’s heart has never healed from suffering the loss of Ms. O’Bryan. But, her memory lives on through the scholarship that bears her name.