This month’s Senior Spotlight goes to someone who is just as outgoing, friendly, and passionate off the strip as he is on the strip: Ethan Ablorh-Odjidja.
Ablorh-Odjidja’s journey didn’t start in Franklin Lakes, but in Brooklyn. Before moving to New Jersey, Ablorh-Odjidja lived in Lefferts Gardens—a neighborhood in Brooklyn— where he felt at home. “I was welcome there. Never the odd one out, never the one who looks funny or different. Just me. I had a circle of people that I loved, my family, my friends, and some of my neighbors. It always felt like I had a home no matter where I was,” he explained.
Later, however, after deciding to move to Franklin Lakes, Ablorh-Odjidja said that the change was difficult. “At first, hearing that I was moving, I was distraught and inconsolable for days,” he said, “I think the day we moved was the quietest and most depressing I have ever been.” Adjusting to life in a new town and school is not easy. At first, Ablorh-Odjidja struggled to connect with people around him and found himself withdrawing from the unfamiliar environment. His struggles—along with the arbitrary acts of his classmates treating him like a “brand new iPhone”—made him feel unjustly isolated.
Ablorh-Odjidja doesn’t look back at middle school with fond memories. He explains how he experienced prejudice from one of his teachers and a multitude of his classmates. The one thing he points out as the best thing that happened to him, however, came from those years: his two best friends.
On a class project, Ablorh-Odjidja partnered with Braeden Wolff, and the two quickly connected. Their friendship allowed Ablorh-Odjidja to feel at home again. The time they spent together made the new town seem less unfamiliar. “This was the first time I truly realized what it meant to have a best friend,” Ablorh-Odjidja said. “Someone that you can trust with anything, talk to about anything, and truly have a meaningful relationship with.”
Another person that he highlighted was Gia Touma. Their friendship, Ablorh-Odjidja describes, was the bond of a sister and brother. “As she and I got closer, it was as if she became my sister, and I am truly blessed and grateful that she is,” he explained.
When Ablorh-Odjidja entered high school, things gradually began to improve. He met new people, found his academic rhythm, and eventually discovered a sport that would become a major part of his life: fencing. Joining the Ramapo fencing team introduced him to a supportive group of teammates who helped him learn the fundamentals and encouraged him to develop his own style on the strip. He also added, “I am very grateful that my parents got me into this sport because it taught me way more than any textbook I’ve seen. (Thanks, Mom; Thanks, Dad).”
Junior Logan Fletcher, another captain on the team, commented, “Ethan has been a star on the team. With his leadership, he led the team forward and has been part of the reason we have qualified all these years. I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in college and later in life! Love you, sugarplum.”
However, Ablorh-Odjidja’s experience with the team was not always easy. In his early seasons, the team faced challenges with consistency and structure, which at times left the team feeling unsupported. Nevertheless, Ablorh-Odjidja’s character continued to shine through his mindset that he didn’t need his coaches, or anyone for that matter.“I don’t need them to be great.”
And great he was. In his senior year, he was named one of the Captains. His season was extremely successful; he ended with 27 wins and only seven losses, finishing the Sabre as the 38th-ranked Team in the state. The coach of the boys’ fencing team, Coach Fougnies—more commonly known as Coach ET—commented: “Since last year, I have known Ethan to be an extremely intelligent, self-motivated, and outspoken fencer. He can read people like an open book. So when he steps on the strip, if he is focused, he can take anyone down.” Ablorh-Odjidja plans on pursuing engineering after high school.
Ablorh-Odjidja ends with this message: “All thanks to my teammates, my friends, Braeden and Gia, and most importantly, my parents. They have done so much for me, and I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.”
