
A seven-year member of the Human Relations Commission who is leaving the state to pursue her medical career was honored for her “dedicated service to the community” April 9 by the Township Council.
Shirin Poustchi, an HRC member since 2012, will be conducting her medical residency in internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
In addition to her work on the HRC, Poustchi was honored for her involvement with the Franklin Township Youth Council, the Franklin High School Student Government, NJ Orators and the Franklin Youth Empowerment Group.
Mayor Phil Kramer called Poustchi a “truly amazing person.”
“I’m very honored to be here to commemorate her,” he said.
“She’s going to go incredibly far,” Kramer said. “I can’t tell you how impressed I am with her, how much in awe I am with her. She will make all of us very proud. She’s going far away, but I trust she will be coming back.”
Poustchi thanked the people she said “molded me into the person I am today.”
“I was brought up with a really strong set of values from my family as well as from the Baha’i faith,” she said. “I always wanted to contribute and to serve, and along the way I’ve always found encouragement and accompaniment from many people who are in this room and beyond.”
“I’m very excited and honored to be from Franklin Township, to have gone through the Franklin Township schools system,” Poustchi said. “There’s a lot of great potential and great people coming from Franklin Township. Our diversity is our strength. I’m excited to take this commitment that has been molded into me on to Los Angeles, but hopefully one day will come back.”