In 2005, my sister Laryssa tragically lost her life in a car accident on her way to school during her senior year. In her memory, I’ve created this website to celebrate her life and to raise awareness about the fact that she was denied a posthumous diploma because she was deemed not to have "fulfilled the requirements."

Our goal is to establish Laryssa’s Law, which would ensure that any high school student who passes away before graduation receives a posthumous diploma in their honor. While some states have similar laws, New York—where we live—currently does not.

Thank you for joining us in this effort to honor Laryssa and advocate for this important change.

In the summer after our first year without my sister, my husband and I took a trip out west. When we discovered a pair of rubber ducks in the hotel bathroom, it felt like a sign that Laryssa was with us in spirit, as ducks were her favorite animals. Since that moment, we’ve made it a tradition to photograph our ducks wherever we travel.

The idea for Ducks 4 Laryssa first came to me while we were photographing our ducks at Artist Point in Yellowstone National Park. When a woman from Germany asked if she could take a picture of them, she couldn’t have known the sense of hope she inspired in me that day.