[3] At 16 years old, Raffa became the youngest, and first American female to win the Gold Medal at Prix de Lausanne in 1980.
Raffa was twice awarded a special teacher's recognition from the National Foundation for he Advancement in the Arts.
She was also awarded a grant from the United States Information Services to be a cultural ambassador for a company and school in Honduras.
In addition, Raffa graduated magna cum laude in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in Psychology from St. Thomas University.
Raffa became head director of the American Ballet Theatre's National Summer Intensive program.