N.J. high school grad is nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Updated Feb 20, 2021;
Maria Ressa, a Filipino-American journalist and 1982 graduate of Toms River High School North, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the district, published reports, and the nominee herself.
“I do want to mention, proudly, that we have a Toms River North alum nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Superintendent Thomas Gialanella said during Wednesday night’s meeting of the Toms River Regional School Board of Education meeting. “Yeah, it’s pretty impressive.”
Ressa, 57, is a former CNN Southeast Asia correspondent and the co-founder of Rappler.com, a Manila-based news site that has reported on terrorism networks and human rights abuses under the regime of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. In retaliation, Ressa has been subject to harassment and multiple arrests, according to her Rappler bio.
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Maria Ressa graduated from Toms River High School North in 1982. She has spent more than 35 years working as a journalist in Asia, reporting on terrorism and corruption. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
TOMS RIVER, NJ In high school, Maria Ressa was voted Most Likely To Succeed by her classmates. Now the Toms River High School North graduate is among the nominees for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Ressa, a 1982 graduate of Toms River North, has been nominated for the prize along with two journalism organizations, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, according to the Norsk Journalistlag, a Norwegian news organization. She was nominated by Jonas Gahr Støre, a Norwegian politician and head of the country s Labor Party.