The New York Giants will close out the 2023 regular season on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
As is tradition, the national anthem will be sung before kickoff and the Week 18 honor will belong to a Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation patient.
Mya Rodriguez, who was diagnosed with stage 2A bulky Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in July of 2021 at the age of 17, was personally invited to perform by Giants co-owner John Mara. The surprise invite came during the 2023 Champions for Children Gala in mid-October.
At the time of her diagnosis, Mya was nearing the end of her senior year at High Tech High School – Hudson County Schools of Technology. She discovered a lump on her neck and tests confirmed the rare form of blood cell cancer. Her dreams of attending the Tisch School of the Arts felt like they were slipping away as Mya feared her long-term goals would have to change.
Tom Coughlin and the Jay Fund Foundation stepped in and in 2022, Mya was named the recipient of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Tisch Family Scholarship.
Mya graduated from Hudson County Schools of Technology – High Tech High School in June of 2021. Her plans of attending New York University’s Tisch School of Drama were put on hold last summer when she was diagnosed with cancer. Mya has already distinguished herself as an accomplished thespian, dancer, and singer. She participates in the Bergen Performing Arts Center and Choir, as well as multiple community theatre productions. During the pandemic, Mya created a video with her classmates to show support for the teachers in her high school.
Mya is now a sophomore at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and on Sunday afternoon, she will share her singing talents with Giants Nation in front of more than 82,000.
