On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the Zonta Club of Morristown Area, in collaboration with HudsonWay Immersion School, brought together three incredible women—Susan Loricchio, Donna Roman, and Kanan Kapila—to share their unique journeys, career experiences, challenges, and the paths they forged along the way. This interactive panel, hosted by the HudsonWay Immersion School Parents Association (HWISPA), was a wonderful opportunity for students and families to learn from real-world stories of leadership, perseverance, and empowerment in law enforcement, aviation, and mental health. Proceeds benefited the Zonta Club of Morristown Area Scholarship Programs, supporting future women leaders. HudsonWay alumna Rachel Ma, a current junior at Newark Academy, helped fundraise for the event. A special highlight was Rachel presenting a $6,000 donation to the Zonta Club from her summer volleyball fundraiser, supporting the Young Women in Leadership Award. 💙 We are grateful to Rachel for using her leadership and passion to give back to her community! Thank you to our speakers, organizers, volunteers, and families who helped make this event such a meaningful success! ✨
Since joining Zonta in May 2026, Rachel has learned so much about the organization's mission and the work our local club does to support women and girls in our community and around the world. Rachel has enjoyed attending meetings and helping organize the Beyond the Blueprint guest speaker event.
Rachel started a summer volleyball camp and private lesson fundraiser for students in Grades 2–9. She was involved in every step, from developing the idea and creating the website and Google Forms to promoting the program and coaching the students. From May through October 2026, Rachel dedicated 133 volunteer service hours to the fundraiser, including planning, promoting, and coaching. She worked with 25 students and successfully raised $6,000, with proceeds supporting Zonta's work. We are incredibly proud of Rachel's commitment. There were days when she coached both morning and evening sessions, as well as many hot summer days outdoors, but she stayed dedicated and followed through with every camp and lesson.
We are also very grateful to all the families who supported the fundraiser. Rachel could not have reached this goal without their participation and encouragement. She is especially proud of all her players, from Grades 2–9, for their hard work and enthusiasm for learning volleyball.
One of the most meaningful things Rachel learned from her fundraiser is that making an impact doesn't require starting with a big idea. Sometimes it begins with recognizing what you already know how to do and finding a way to share it with others. Rachel realized she could use her volleyball experience to coach younger students, raise funds, and—through Zonta—help support more young women and girls. She is proud to be part of the Zonta community and especially proud that her work contributes to the Young Women in Leadership Award program.
