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NUTLEY, N.J. — While every athlete knows that hard work is the foundation of success, Marcella Blancato accelerated her track career by adding a few extra steps.

鈥淭he best advice that I鈥檝e received has been that the only person who can cause you to succeed is yourself, and you have to work to achieve the results you desire,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his can also be applied to levels of confidence, for the whole world could be cheering for you, but it will not make you satisfied unless you cheer for and believe in yourself.鈥�

Confidence and believing in herself helped her break Anna Quinn鈥檚 28-year, 800-meter school record in May. But just like in any sport, Marcella worked her way up to this achievement.

鈥淢y freshman year I ran the 55- and 200-meter races, my sophomore year I focused on the 200- and 400-meter, and I鈥檝e worked my way up to the 800-meter race,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was very surprised when I broke the school record and for this year, I am going to try and break my personal record in the 400 meters. Time will tell!鈥�

While Marcella has impressive stats on the track team, her involvement with school and community-based activities has given her wins of a different kind.

鈥淚 have been the class president for the past four years of my high school career, so I have been able to put a lot of my effort into benefitting my school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am also the president of the Core Ambassadors which focuses on the well-being of the student body. We had several projects to increase positivity and a feeling of being welcomed throughout the high school. I am the vice president of National Honor Society and one of the secretaries of Key Club, and I try to involve myself with many other clubs as well. I am an active member of the National Art Honor Society, Italian Honor Society, and I continuously volunteer at the Nutley Family Service Bureau.鈥�

While Marcella is certainly busy with many activities as well as track, she has an underlying principle that motivates her in all that she does.

鈥淚 try to always go out of my way to include others,鈥� she said. 聽鈥淓veryone is on a team to do the same thing鈥攖o make friends, have fun, and perform to the best of our abilities. I try to help make sure that there is a healthy environment to make the most of the memories that we are creating.鈥�

This kind of thinking has led Marcella to make a major impact in her sport and one that will be remembered.

鈥淐onsidering I鈥檓 an athlete who will not be continuing my athletic career in college, when I graduate, I not only leave my school, but I leave my past of structured athletics behind.鈥�

Marcella Blancato has left her mark in the sports world at Nutley High School and all of her Nutley neighbors wish her continued success in college and beyond.

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