Horace Mann - Winter 2012 - (Page 22)

celebrating 125 years: preparing great and giving lives norbelina Disla ’01 Brings Personal Experience to her Research of Stroke and critical care, the noMaS team is examining stroke and other illnesses in the multi-ethnic population of northern Manhattan, where Disla grew up. Stroke and coronary disease are two of the top three leading causes of death in the U.S., with stroke affecting blacks and Hispanics more than whites, regardless of socio-economic status. This ongoing study began in 1990. Designed to give data over a range of years, the noMaS study is the first of its kind to focus on stroke risk factors in whites, blacks, and Hispanics living in the same community. one noMaS study quantified the high risk of stroke and heart attack among daily drinkers of diet soda. another conclusively linked a similar risk to high sodium intake. yet another showed a greater risk of longterm disability among stroke survivors who suffered from acute depression after stroke. Disla is a co-author of these studies. Their results apply to noMaS’ focus community, as well as to the population as a whole. as part of the noMaS team since 2005 Disla’s research has contributed to these groundbreaking findings and the significant media attention they’ve attracted. as a compassionate researcher whose ability to personally connect with hundreds of the over 3,948 participants in this long-term study, norbelina’s contribution to the life of each individual she encounters is invaluable. seekinG An educAtion to prepAre for A GreAt And GivinG life first-hand knowledge and personal compassion are strong motivators for norbelina Disla. These also factor into her pursuit of an education aimed at learning to help others—her ultimate goal. Just as she takes the long view today in anticipating the needs of returning veterans, this alumna has always looked to the future in her personal preparation to lead “a great and giving life.” as a middle schooler at pS 187 in the Washington Heights neighborhood of new york city where she grew up norbelina recalled wanting to go on to a high school, “where i could find the best education for my future. When it came time to think about high school a friend told me about private schools. She gave me a list of schools she had. Some of them were boarding schools,” Disla said. “That would not have worked. My family did not want me to go away for school.” Thus, Disla began exploring independent schools in the new york city area. “Something about Horace Mann caught my attention. i felt it was the right place for me. i applied, and came into the school as a ninth-grader. it was extremely different than what i was used to, and it took some adjusting on my part, but it was the best growth experience i’ve ever had.” at Horace Mann Disla applied herself to her studies, and found a new love in one of her electives. “Dr. Schiller’s Shakespeare class,” she said, emphatically. “i took the classes i was required to take. i also took Spanish courses with Mrs. carnochan. i spoke Spanish at home, but i wanted to not only know the language but understand the culture. i was always into latin american literature, so i had some background for those classes. but, i didn’t really appreciate Shakespeare before i took Dr. Schiller’s class. i’ve loved Shakespeare ever since.” norbelina also became passionate about community service at Horace Mann. “i did tutoring with low income students in the summer, and i did community service at HM’s Summer on the Hill,” she said. Her involvement in community service helped her become a William H. Gray Scholar at franklin and Marshall college. This scholarship is awarded to students who have shown a commitment to community service and have demonstrated a potential for achievement through academic strength and leadership ability, and “who are also from a background traditionally underrepresented in U.S. higher education.” The Gray Scholars program offers n orbelina Disla ’01 sees a crisis emerging, and she wants to help stem its tide. “returning veterans. veterans returning from iraq and afghanistan will be a critical area of focus for social services in the coming years,” she said emphatically, anticipating the future needs of our country’s young veterans as she maps out her own future. for Disla, that future is in the field of counseling and depression, the focus of her graduate studies at columbia University. “i have always thought of working with the elderly, or with inmate populations. but i am thinking more and more about today’s veterans. Their issues are overlooked by society. There are so many veterans in the country, and now, many more are coming home. We are just beginning to see how difficult their situation is,” said the Horace Mann School alumna. “i have friends who were in the service, and friends who are married to people serving now. i’m learning about the problems that veterans and their entire families face. There is a lot of work to be done in this area.” first-hand knowledge of the problems people face is norbelina Disla’s inspiration in her work today. That work includes her research on behalf of the northern Manhattan Study (noMaS). part of the neurological institute of columbia University’s Division 22 Horace mann magazine Winter 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Horace Mann - Winter 2012

Horace Mann - Winter 2012
Contents
Letters
Greetings from Dr. Tom Kelly
Greetings from Melissa Parento ’90
Horace Mann School’s 125th Anniversary Observances Begin
Strategic Thinking
New Initiatives in Institutional Research and Admissions
HM's New Director of College Counseling
Timothy HO and Monica Merlo are 2011 Tina and Dave Bellet Teaching Excellence Award Winners
Langfan Oratorical Contest, 2011
Horace Mann School Graduates 178 in June, 2011
Alumni Council Corner
Bookshelf
Class Notes
Memorials
Philanthropy and You

Horace Mann - Winter 2012

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