Friends and family recently held a celebration at Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant in Farmingdale on behalf Farmingdale High School alum Brian Shaughnessy.

Richard Wiederman taught elementary instrumental music in the Farmingdale Public Schools from 1987 to 2000 and it was during his tenure at the Northside Elementary School that he said he had the pleasure of having Shaughnessy as a student. From the moment he walked into the band room, Wiederman said he knew that Shaughnessy was a unique person.

"He was mature beyond his years, due in part to the fact that his father had passed away from a massive heart attack when Brian was only in the second grade," he added. "He began studying the Trumpet with me when he was in the fourth grade and continued playing the Trumpet until he graduated from high school."

Shaughnessy is the youngest of eight children and according to Wiederman, he knew early on that the key to a successful life is hard work. He has been working at odd jobs since he was very small and has never shied away from manual labor. He is a talented athlete who used to dream of pitching for the New York Yankees. His skills as a contractor provided him with summer employment when he was not in school. He was the handyman for the Cultural Arts Playhouse for many years, where he also would perform in the trumpet section of the pit orchestra.

He was the valedictorian of Farmingdale High School in 1997.

"I reminded him that he had told me (when he was in the fourth grade) that he would go to Princeton University when he graduated from high school," Wiederman said. "He laughed and asked me if I would forgive him for going to Harvard University on a full scholarship."

Wiederman stayed in touch with Brian all the way through his undergraduate years and when he graduated Harvard, he came back to Long Island to work for two years as a contractor. He built dormers, decks and sheds with his brother Michael for two years and then decided to go to law school. He was accepted to Georgetown University School of Law and promptly moved to Washington, D.C.

Shaughnessy graduated from Georgetown last spring and was accepted as an intern at the law firm of Kirkland and Ellis, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. He passed the Bar Exam last fall and was immediately hired as a full time lawyer at Kirkland and Ellis. He proposed to his girlfriend, Jennifer Rosario, whom he met at Harvard and they are getting married April 14.

"A couple of months ago, Brian called me to ask me if I would be his best man and I accepted," Wiederman said.

"Over 50 of Brian's former teachers and professors came from all over the country to celebrate this young man's extraordinary accomplishments," he added.