Download Walesia’s Winning Essay!

The winner of the 2011 Girls Gone Great Scholarship Essay Contest is Walesia Lynn Robinson Cates.

Walesia is a sixteen year-old senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, MD, where she has been a student in the QUEST program since 9th grade.

One of her favorite activities at school has included the Girl’s Rugby team where she played wing position. Walesia is Treasurer of the Junior Civitan club that focuses on environmental conservation and recycling, as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Every month, she spends weekends volunteering at the National Food Bank and SHARE Food Network.

Outside of her school life, Walesia is very active in the community. She has been a public speaker since age 5, and has shared the stage with many luminaries in the entertainment, political, civic, academic, and professional arenas. She was awarded the Maryland’s Women of Tomorrow 1st Place Winner in 2006 and received a Governor’s Citation Certificate.

In addition, Walesia was honored to introduce three women inductees into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, including Billie Holiday, State Delegate Pauline Menes and Prasanna Nair, M.D.

She lives with her mother and two younger brothers, ages 14 and 12. They enjoy spending time together outside in their award-winning flower garden, bicycling around the neighborhood pond, and going to the movies with friends.

Walesia will be a freshman at the University of Maryland at College Park in the fall and is quite excited about it. Staying close to home, she looks forward to continuing her volunteer work for the Department of Human Resources: Maryland Commission for Women and the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.

Walesia feels WomanTalk Live is a great inspiration by presenting Girls Gone Great as they contribute to their communities and make the world a better place for all.