It's an unlikely topic for the 10 impressive young women recognized for the Athena Society's 2018 Dr. Sylvia Richardson Young Women of Promise Program.
But for these high school juniors, failure has proven to be the spur that has driven them to the achievements they most value.
"Failure forced me to step back and evaluate where I went wrong," said Greta Dieck, a student at Academy of the Holy Names. "I learned the importance of failing with purpose."
At the society's 38th annual recognition luncheon at the Centre Club, the honorees exemplified the leadership qualities as well as the academic and extracurricular achievement that echo the Athena Society's own role as an organization of leading business and professional women. The students were the event's focus; as each of them spoke, the assembled Athena Society members did, as President Doretha Edgecomb anticipated, "feel inadequate and insignificant" in comparison.
Dieck described the failure of her first meeting heading the Cross Out Cancer, Inc. fundraiser : only one person showed up. It forced her to re-evaluate how she had approached the project. The fundraiser ended up raising more than 80,000 for pediatric cancer patients at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. She captains her cross country team, is active in speech and debate club and aspires to become a civil rights attorney.
Madison Hungerford
Durant High School
Madison has overcome the obstacles of being bullied and living in 13 countries in a military family by serving as the senator and secretary of her school's Student Government and Junior Council, and as vice president of FBLA. She also has organized a support group for military kids while maintaining a 4.9 weighted GPA. She will pursue an aerospace engineering degree.
Aashna Kadiwar
Strawberry Crest High School
Aashna's IB program requires community service, but her passion for helping others has led her to several nonprofit efforts, including raising more than $21,000 for the Children's Miracle Network, and helping children at the Village Early Learning Center with art lessons. She ranks in the top 4 percent of IB district students, and wants a career in medicine.
Katherine Metheny
Joe E. Newsome High School
A standout JROTC student leader, Katherine has earned a 7.17 weighted GPA and is a three-time recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service award for achieving more than 100 hours of volunteer service, including work at Brandon Regional. She's also a talented visual artist. She will aim to serve in the military after earning an aeronautical engineering degree.
Alyssa Nagle
H.B. Plant High School
A member of a military family, Alyssa succeeds in academics, athletics, music and swimming, where she is a three-time National Meet qualifier. She's in the upper two percent of her class with a 4.0 unweighted GPA. She's also an award-winning member of her school's orchestra, and will perform with players of the Italian Opera in Italy this summer.
Presley Pettit
Walter L. Sickles High School
Presley's passion for helping others includes serving as a gymnastics coach and math tutor. She's an advanced placement dual enrollment student ranked in the top one percent of her class, and also succeeds as a varsity and All Star cheerleader. She prides herself on balancing her many activities, and hopes to become a certified clinical nutritionist.
Isabella Schlact
Berkeley Preparatory School
An improv actor, Isabella aims to challenge negative issues through writing, public speaking and theatre. She was selected to give a Berkeley Prep TEDx talk on confidence and has developed a class at Berkeley Academy to help motivate students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Isabella stays active while maintaining a rigorous course schedule.
Christina Sia
Vivian Gaither High School
As a child in the Philippines, Christina knew she wanted a career in healthcare to honor the Filipino tradition of people working together. She has a 5.2 weighted GPA, earned the Oxbridge Academic Scholarship, and studied at Harvard College last year. She also volunteers at Tampa General. Adjusting to her new life in the U.S. has helped hone her mental toughness.
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