September 2025 Chris Curcia

Congratulations to our September 2025 WaveMaker of the Month!

How long have you been a member of the OceanFirst Bank team? What role do you play on the Bank Team? I have been with Ocean First Bank since September of 2022. I currently am the Retail Market Manager for New York

What has been your favorite volunteer activity – and why? My favorite Volunteer activity is working with those that are the recipients of that volunteerism. There is a lot of monetary giving and behind the scenes that goes towards a Non-profit organization. Working with and seeing those who benefit grow because of the efforts made by non-profits, is the reason behind all the volunteerism.

What has volunteering taught you? What was reinforced to me as a citizen and a person, was Empathy and being kind to everyone. Too many times, we as a society feel, “if it doesn’t happen to us or if we don’t see it, then everything is ok”. A lot of us should be thankful we have what we have in life. This cannot be said for a lot of people. There are a lot of people in our society that struggle. Whether it be with health, money, family, employment, etc; some of the things we take for granted are a dream for others. Helping others lift up and find their way to a better life isn’t just to pat ourselves on the back, it enriches our society as a whole. And it’s the right thing to do.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Steamed Maryland Blue Claw crabs with Old Bay and a Lager

What did you want to be when you were a kid? Herpetologist- one who studies Reptiles and Amphibians

What is your favorite quote? Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”