Brynn Wilary is selected as a 2022 Young Woman of Promise honoree for the Athena Society

Academy of the Holy Names Junior, Brynn Wilary, was recently selected as a 2022 Young Woman of Promise honoree for the Athena Society. Every year, Hillsborough County selects ten female juniors throughout the county from different high schools. The program is noted as a long-standing tradition of Athena to recognize and support young women in their junior year of high school for their academic, athletic, community service, and other achievements. 

Wilary  (‘23) was pointed towards the program from her in-school college counselor. Her counselor noted her excellent academic record and prosperous work outside of the classroom. Wilary was elated to receive this news as her mother also received this recognition during her high school career. Wilary worked diligently on her application earlier in the year, completing two long essays and a short essay. Attached to her application were her transcript and resume.

After about a month, Wilary received a call on March 22, 2022, informing Wilary of her acceptance. Wilary explains how she felt at that moment stating, “When I was selected I was super excited because my mom was an Athena winner when she was in high school. I was honored to be able to meet these incredible women from different communities.”

The ceremony that celebrated Wilary and her peers’ excellence and selection into the society began with a nice meal shared by the girls and guests. Then, the ten selected students were asked to give a speech describing: “what superpowers you discovered about yourself during this stressful time? Or please share with us exactly how you successfully coped with the stress of the past few years while sharing your light for others.”

Wilary detailed in her speech the hard work she put into running an organization that puts on multiple dances a year for those with special needs. Wilary accounted for the great experience she had at the recognition ceremony saying, “The ceremony was very cool because they collected a bunch of highly ranked women from different positions across the community. One of which was even running for judge.”

The main takeaway for Wilary (‘23) from the whole experience was that “Even though we are only high schoolers, there is still so much we can do. Use the resources available to you and your passions to make an impact.” Outstanding work by Wilary (‘23) was adequately recognized and applauded at this event.