Neurdia Osias Captures Semper Fidelis Award

Neurdia Osias began her run through Huntington UFSD as a kindergartener at Washington Primary School. She has always been a favorite of her teachers and classmates and the teenager went on to lead the Blue Devil varsity volleyball team to one of its best seasons ever as a senior.

A great conversationalist with an ever present sense of humor, Ms. Osias is one of the most well-liked members of Huntington’s Class of 2024. She is this year’s recipient of the Semper Fidelis Academic Award. US Marine Corps Sergeant Brian Restivo presented the award during a ceremony in the high school auditorium.

Ms. Osias plans to attend Lackawana College in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she was recruited to play on the women’s volleyball team.

Each year, the Semper Fidelis award is presented to a student who displays traits that the Marine Corps considers essential to being a good leader: endurance, knowledge, unselfishness, dependability, enthusiasm and loyalty.

The award recognizes noteworthy academic achievement and leadership in high school students,” according to the US Marine Corps. “Nominees should be exemplary young citizens and role models for their peers. Award recipients need not necessarily be “straight A” students, they may well be those students who have shown the greatest degree of academic improvement over the past semester or year.

A member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Math Honor Society, Ms. Osias left her mark in numerous areas. On the volleyball court with the Blue Devils, she especially shined as a senior recording 129 kills, which is a single season Huntington record for a middle hitter. She added 28 service aces and 15 blocks. The teenager was named All-League.

“Neurdia’s play improved tremendously from the end of last season,” head coach Todd Donaghy said. “The improvement was second to none in all of my years of coaching. I never had a player that improved as much as Neurdia did from one year to the next. The work that she put in to become the player she became was incredible. She should be proud of the player she turned into.”