62 APRIL 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
Port Monmouth Teen Juggles School,
Volunteer Work and Starting a Business
BY SHANNA O’MARA
NEIGHBOR
— to —
NEIGHBOR
A-
ies while also participating in athletics, maintaining a social life, vol-
is doing all this and more while staying grounded with his family by his
Gouzouassis is a 17-year-old senior at Christian Brothers Academy.
Athletic by nature, he grew up playing baseball, then left his mitt
behind to focus on wrestling, a sport he excelled at for nearly three years
away six years ago. Now, Gouzouassis takes what he has learned from
-
es from the Jersey Shore or from the west coast of Florida when he visits
his Godparents.
A true outdoorsman, Gouzouassis also spends his free time doing
yardwork; he enjoys it so much so that he has started making a living doing
such. He said he worked for a landscaper for about a year and a half
while in high school. During quarantine, his interest sparked again, and
laying a patio and walkway, and installing decorative stone around the
pool. He realized he wanted to start his own business and opened Yan’s
Landscape & Lawn Service this past summer.
out how I can make it look good.”
in his own backyard when he installed a French drain to rid the foundation
of excess water. This system, which relies on gravity to function, has
kept his home fully dry, something it had not been since Superstorm Sandy
hit in 2012.
Yan’s Landscape & Lawn Service also specializes in mowing, snow
installation. Gouzouassis said he uses the same skills in drawing inspiration
for a stone design or plant arrangement as he will when he pursues
engineering after high school. He plans to attend Brookdale Community
College next year to focus on his studies and pinpoint what he wants to
do in the future. For now, he is staying busy with landscaping and staying
connected to the community. Through his business, Gouzouassis decorat-
He, younger sister Caroline and mom Nicole have been involved
with the church for years. When Yannis was younger, he participated in
Edge, a Catholic middle school youth ministry program. Through the program,
he performed community service and took part in retreats which allowed
him to grow his faith. He continued on this path after middle school
and now helps run the program, focusing on praise and worship. He is
also now part of Life Teen, the high school equivalent of Edge. Always looking
for ways to get involved and lend a helping hand, Gouzouassis has
packed lunches for local homeless shelters and refereed hockey games at
“He’s very strong and strong-willed,” she said. “Any obstacle that
comes up, he gets through it. He has great work ethic, and I think he
learned that from my husband.”
With his work ethic and determination to make a
difference in this chaotic world, it’s hard to imagine anything
slowing Gouzouassis down.
For more information about Gouzouassis and his
Three things to know about Yannis Gouzouassis:
1. He said his biggest achievements so far are starting his own company
at such a young age and his success on the wrestling mat.
2. He enjoys playing paintball.
3. His family has a Golden Retriever named Sadie.
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