Marisa Juliano, born and raised in Forked River, is a Lacey Township High School alumni of the Class of 2013. Marisa attended Caldwell University receiving her two Bachelor's Degrees in Art and Psychology, with a minor in Sociology in May of 2017. She continued her education at Caldwell, receiving her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy in May 2020. Caldwell’s Art Therapy program is the first CACREP accredited program of this type in the nation. Marisa was actively involved on her campus while maintaining a double major with a minor, as she was an Admissions Student Ambassador and Orientation Leader. During Marisa’s time as a graduate student, she built strong relationships with her professors and colleagues, enough to be selected to deliver the student address at the 78th Annual Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2020.

Marisa had been preparing for months for this speech, considering she was part of a graduating class still able to hold a ceremony in person, only in September instead of May. During her speech, she highlighted the importance of her institution’s ability to make students feel like they are defined by more than just their student ID number, and talked about the transition into a virtual world of higher education, and being able to adapt to ever changing circumstances to persevere through a global pandemic. She talked about Caldwell being a place where people were able to discover themselves and create defining moments, which are lifelong memories. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she jumped onto the frontlines working at an assisted living facility which turned into a COVID hospital.

She provided art therapy services and utilized virtual platforms such as Amazon to keep families who were affected by the virus connected during times of isolation. Currently, she is using her Counseling and Art Therapy degree with many populations. She started over two years ago working with the blind and visually impaired community at a non-profit organization called The Vision Loss Alliance of NJ, even continuing virtually now through the pandemic. This job provided her another opportunity to be hired by the NJ Department of Human Services with the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, providing virtual services for the Joseph Kohn Training Center until programs can resume in person. Marisa has a strong passion for bringing art therapy and mental health services to the vision-loss community.

|As well, she works at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in their Behavioral Health Unit and Eating Disorders Unit, providing Art Therapy services. She has recently been offered a full-time position and will be transferring to the Center for Discovery, which is an Eating Disorders program in New Jersey, as a Primary Therapist and Art Therapist. Juliano has always prided herself on being open-minded to any opportunities that come her way, and looks forward to her future career.