LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Diane Farro was nominated by a former student, Shafiq Alvarado.

"Mrs. Farro has been a LifeChanger in this community and many others through the impact she has made, not only in my life, but in the lives of so many students she works with," said Alvarado. "I first met her as a student at Wallenpaupack High School after starting to get treatments for allergies and immunizations...I'm still allergic to everything, but getting through the traditional route of high school scheduling would have proved to be a huge issue if not for her. I graduated high school with a 3.9 GPA and was heavily influenced by Mrs. Farro."

"Mrs. Farro is one of the top dogs in her industry, and received a 4.0 in studies for her field, which is psychology," said Alvarado. "My little brother was also given Mrs. Farro as a guidance counselor, and he also received a 3.9 GPA in high school. She never believed there were any limitations to my abilities, and she pushed me to do anything and everything I wanted in school. By working with the other departments, she is able to adhere to working at an exemplary, professional standard and meet the interdisciplinary challenges of students who are suited to excel in multiple industries."

"It is said that the hallmark of a good teacher is when the student surpasses the teacher," said Alvarado. "As a 15 year old high school student, things seem a little unrealistic and far off when you have your entire life ahead of you. With her assistance, however, I navigated through the pre-med track while also being a leader in band and sports. I'm currently a second year medical student studying to be a physician at O&M University, a hybrid university with University of Miami and Harvard Medical School located in the Dominican Republic. I'm a published researcher and was an invited guest at the 2019 Forbes Under 30 Conference in Detroit. I am just one of the many students who became successful through working with Mrs. Farro at Wallenpaupack."