OTS' Inspiration Cafe

Inspiration Café is a program started at Black River Middle School in Chester, NJ by two teachers:

In the spring of 2024, Mrs. Femiano read this article and shared it with Dr. Mitchell. They were curious and reached out to Dr. Piascik and Mr. Russo asking if they could visit Black River Middle School's Inspiration Cafe. Sure enough, they saw the last one shortly afterwards and became inspired to start this program here at OTS.

Students are invited to come to Inspiration Cafe during their lunch/E&R block to enjoy their lunch while also being nourished by the insights of a noted professional. The program does not focus on the preparation each professional has taken to reach their level of success. Rather, the focus is on the inspiration that sparked within each professional the passion to pursue their life’s work. The goal is for at least the students to be inspired by a professional’s “story” and begin to ignite a fire within the students.

A father of three Tewksbury students, and the current North American General Counsel of Opella consumer healthcare, Chris is a former D1 college athlete, an Oxford Blue, a six-time U.S. National Team member, a double world championship medal winner, and a two-time member of the United States Olympic Rowing Team. Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, a Masters degree from Oxford University, and his law degree from Boston College. Chris will discuss the importance of time-management, hard work, and resilience with our students. We will also explore how he dealt with the victories and the defeats he faced as a professional athlete.

Dates for this year's Inspiration Cafe are TBA. We are working to find inspiring stories!

Do you have a great story to tell?

Do you know a person or some individuals who would be one of our Keynote Speakers?