representing her
community
Allendale’s Diana Stolfo has never let
Down syndrome hold her back
BY LESLIE PERLMUTTER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
A
30
S P E C I A L PA R E N T | 2 0 1 6 E D I T I O N
ON THE JOB Stolfo works as a sales
associate at the GAP.
“increase awareness so that I can
help others as well,” she says.
Through her many speaking
engagements, Stolfo draws attention
and awareness to people with special
needs and advocates for their interests. Her motto is “Speak the word;
be the word,” she says. “You can do
anything you want if you put your
mind to it. Believe it because you can.
That's how you live life to the fullest.”
At 33 years old, Stolfo is the oldest
of three children. She is very close to
her parents, Joanne and Salvatore
Stolfo, and her siblings, Emily and
David. >
201magazine.com/family
COURTESY OF DIANA STOLFO
quick look at Diana Stolfo’s
LinkedIn profile and you
can’t help but be impressed.
She is a self-advocate,
public speaker and role model for
those who have Down syndrome or
other special needs.
Stolfo concurrently holds positions
as a sales associate, clerical assistant
and a receptionist, and she has
competed in gymnastics in the
Special Olympics for the past 20 years.
In 2012, the Ridgewood native and
Allendale resident spoke at the United
Nations at its first celebration of World
Down Syndrome Day. In addition, she
has received the New Jersey ARC Bill
Sachter award and the National Down
Syndrome Society Melissa Reggio
Voices award.
People often seem more impressive
on social media than they really are,
but this is not the case with Stolfo.
What the LinkedIn profile cannot
adequately convey is the inspiration,
positivity and dynamism that
emanates from her. Stolfo took a
public speaking class at Ridgewood
High School and ran for Studen