For 17 years, the North Central Pennsylvania YWCA has hosted the Women’s of Excellence Award Ceremony, which was held on Wed., November 12 this year.
School districts across North Central PA are allowed to nominate senior young ladies who display leadership, excellence, and empathy for others. Women are also eligible for this nomination, and they can be nominated by anyone they know. The nomination categories are Advocacy, Guiding Light, Education, Sports, Art & Culture, Health & Wellness, and Rising Star.
This year the teacher and student nominees were: Spanish and Education 101 teacher Mrs. Andrea Tira for Advocacy, Chemistry teacher Mrs. Natalie Smith for Education, junior Lillian McCulloch for Advocacy, senior Raigan Fredericks for Guiding Light, and sophomore Novella Oyewo for junior Rising Star.
The Director of Development for the YWCA, Mrs. Beth McClain, has worked with the organization for four and a half years, and is also the coordinator for this event annually.
“Our annual Women of Excellence honors generations of strong, creative, and caring changemakers who lead by example, embrace civic responsibility, and demonstrate exceptional leadership. This event also strongly aligns with our mission to Empower Women,” said McClain when she explained why the YWCA started this recognition program.
Nomination notifications were sent out in September to everyone, and each nominee had a different reaction.
“I was surprised and also felt a little shy about it. In fact, I didn’t tell anyone other than my husband and oldest daughter. I wanted to keep it quiet…but the YWCA and the Sun-gazette posted the nominees on their social media accounts so it was hard to keep it a secret. Haha!!” said Tira.
Smith described her reaction by saying, “My initial reaction was complete shock and gratitude that someone chose to recognize me out of all others that they could have nominated for the same award.”
The Young Women’s of Excellence categories are a fairly new addition to this special program.
“Several years ago, the YWCA made the intentional decision to include school-age nominees in Women of Excellence. We believe in honoring women and girls across generations, and in inspiring young girls as they grow into future leaders,” said McClain as she explained the purpose behind including high-school aged students in this recognition ceremony.
McCulloch was the recipient of the Advocacy award for her Young Women’s of Excellence category.
“When I won, I was in disbelief,” said McCulloch. “My first thought was don’t fall up the stairs. My second thought was how exciting this was because not only is this award for me, but it’s for every single person that I have reached or touched at some point throughout my podcast and my journey through that. So it’s not just mine, it’s everyone’s award.”
There were many special parts to this night for each woman.
“The entire night was so special! I really enjoyed listening to the Keynote speaker, Barbara Hudock,” said Tira. “She was inspiring and delivered a powerful message. Cheering on other nominees I knew, including our students, was fun. My neighbor and friend was also nominated in the Advocacy category and she won! Being able to be there to celebrate with her was very special.”
Smith also commented on her positive impressions of the ceremony.
“My favorite part of the night was seeing all the support from everyone both from our school district and the surrounding communities,” she said. “I knew so many of the other women that were either nominated or those that were there to support the other nominees. It was inspiring to see all that others had accomplished and how their contributions have impacted the community. The comradery was so awesome to see and be a part of! It was a very humbling experience. I just remember smiling the entire night.”
Each woman was permitted to bring one special guest of honor. Both Smith and Tira chose their husbands because of their consistent support in all they do, and for loving and being there for them through all of their highs and lows.
McCulloch got permission to bring both her mother and her grandmother.
“My special guest was my mom and my grandma because they are the two people that have been by my side through everything,” she said. “Through my worst they were there, through my best, they were there and it felt like a way to kind of repay them for everything that they have done for me.”
Each nominee took something away from this wonderful night, and these nominations are going to be applied in their everyday lives.
“This nomination was a very nice recognition and it meant a lot to me,” said Tira. “However, my greatest inspiration comes from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His ministry to the poor, sick, fatherless, widowed and marginalized motivates and inspires me daily. These scriptures in particular push me to be better and to do more: James 1:27 and Matthew 25:40. I hope I can continue to live into them in a way that will glorify God, and in doing so, be a role model that encourages others.”
Smith spoke of the challenge and joy of teaching.
“This experience was truly humbling,” she said. “Teaching is a calling, one built on unseen effort, resilience, and shared victories with every student, past, present, and future. When those efforts are recognized unexpectedly, it’s a powerful reminder of why I choose to show up for my students each day. This nomination renews my commitment to keep believing in my student’s potential. I hope every student feels valued and inspired, even on tough days, because each new day is a chance to start fresh, to grow, to learn new things, and to become their best self. Even when those efforts go unrecognized sometimes, they’re always worth it!”
McCulloch reflected on this night and this award in an extremely positive way.
“It meant a lot to receive recognition for something that I’ve worked so hard on and to show that everything I’ve put work for is worth it and that there is light at the end of the tunnel through everything.”
Feature Photo (at top): Featured in the back from left to right are 9th and 10th grade Guidance Counselor Mr. Erick Edler, Principal Matthew Johnson, 10th grade English Teacher and Arrowhead Adviser Mrs. Sandra Trick, and Vice Principal Mrs. Susan Wise. Featured in the front from left to right are 11th and 12th grade Guidance Counselor Mrs. Mallee Hornberger, Chemistry teacher Mrs. Natalie Smith, senior Lillian McCulloch, Spanish and Education 101 Teacher Mrs. Andrea Tira, and senior Raigan Fredericks all pose for a group photo following the conclusion of the ceremony. This photo was taken at the Community Arts Center and was provided by Trick.
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