Passaic County honors three educators and community leader at June 17 meeting

The Passaic County Board of County Commissioners recognized three local figures at its June 17 meeting, presenting proclamations to Mukesh Pandya, Bernadette Orsida and Charles Caraballo.

Mukesh Pandya was honored for more than 35 years of service at the Passaic County Board of Social Services and for organizing voter-registration and civic-education efforts in the county’s South Asian community. The board read a proclamation highlighting Pandya’s career and community leadership; Pandya accepted the honor and thanked commissioners and congressional offices that supplied certificates of recognition.

Bernadette Orsida of Manchester Regional High School was presented with the Passaic County Teacher of the Year proclamation. The county’s deputy education official credited Orsida with founding multicultural programs and student-support initiatives; Orsida told the board she was humbled by the recognition and reflected on her education pathway, including time at Passaic County Community College and William Patterson.

Charles Caraballo was recognized as the New Jersey School Board Association board member of the year. Commissioners read a proclamation noting his years of local board service, leadership of the ‘Unsung Heroes’ program, and county-level school-board work. Caraballo spoke about his local roots and the importance of public-education supports.

Each presentation included brief remarks from the honorees and photo opportunities with commissioners. No board action was required for the proclamations beyond their placement on the meeting record.