To state it quite simply, Antioch Community High School taught me how to get stuff done.

In my time at ACHS, students were offered opportunities to step into leadership roles and take responsibility in determining the course of their own education.

Involvement in student government and the National Honor Society were invaluable experiences that taught me lessons I still draw upon today. I attribute my success working in the non-profit sector and leading community support projects in part to the education I received and my experiences in leadership, organization, and working with others while at ACHS.

Surely it is no surprise that one would take away these lessons from student leadership groups. However, I also felt the expectation that all students take ownership of their futures. Throughout my time at ACHS, I knew that I held the reigns of my education. I had the opportunity to dictate what I would take away from my time at ACHS. I sensed the availability of these liberties to all students who were willing to stand up and embrace them.

Staged throughout the general atmosphere of personal responsibility and expectation of leadership, there were strong female educators who modeled these traits for me. In addition to the many women in our administration, I was fortunate to have some excellent female teachers, including Mrs. Dee Andershock. To this day, she exemplifies what a smart, strong and impactful leader is. Teachers like Mrs. Andershock demonstrate the ways in which one can lead, influence and inspire by way of empowerment and guidance rather than command and authority.

Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson dominated pop culture in my youth. Students now have Beyonce and Amy Poehler. Female powerhouses today throw the “F” word around and it is respected. If someone had said “feminist” when I was a student it meant that you were sitting in history class and probably talking about the 19th Amendment. It turns out that I knew plenty of Beyonces during my years at ACHS, they just weren’t parading around in sequin bodysuits and touring the world with Jay-Z. These women were a force in their khakis as they traveled the hallways of ACHS. Along with their male counterparts, the many strong female educators I had the privilege to learn form encouraged me to excel, lift up others, and how to get stuff done.