From Judy’s Desk: NKY is packed with leaders, both old and new
Hannah Edelen’s is a heart-warming story of sheer dedication, determination and focus to succeed and find purpose in a life. May she be an inspiration to us all.
Edelen, 24, is the new Miss Kentucky and will represent the state in the coming Miss America pageant in Connecticut in December, where her social impact initiative will be “Read Ready Kentucky.”
An elementary school teacher who taught in Covington Independent Public Schools and was a key player in the Read Ready Covington success story, Edelen pulled herself up by her own bootstraps from a challenged, impoverished childhood in Springfield, Kentucky.
Edelen says she was influenced by “one incredible teacher” who believed in her and changed her life. Let that be a reminder, friends, that one person showing kindness and honest interest in another person makes every difference.
The new Miss Kentucky was an incredible student at Northern Kentucky University where she became the first person in her family to graduate from college. She earned a degree in communications and history. She also was president of the Student Government Association; the first-ever presidential fellow in President Ashish Vaidya’s Office of the President; a student regent; residential adviser; orientation leader; a speaker at her graduation ceremonies; an intern at the city, state and federal level within governments; and selected for the Teach America program. Today, she is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky in Education Policy and Evaluation and a candidate for the Covington school board.
As Miss Kentucky, she will step back from her teaching to serve as the spokesperson for Kentucky Proud, the state’s agricultural marketing program, and will continue to be an advocate for reading and for children.
Success story in the making
Another remarkable young woman, Joud Dahleh, a junior in the Ignite Institute, has become the second student to be appointed to a nonvoting position on the Kentucky Board of Education. She will provide insight on decisions that affect Kentucky’s public-school students.
Joud has experience as a student-athlete, as an ethnic minority and as an English learner student, and also as a hospital volunteer, a peer tutor and a mentor to other students. A Palestinian born in Jordan, she wants to be the voice that highlights the diversity among student populations in Kentucky. She is a current member of the Boone County Schools’ superintendent’s advisory council.
A jog down memory lane
For the old-timers who have fond memories of the “good ol’ days,” it is heartening to see:
– Ken and Mary Lucas were honored as grand marshals of the Union Celebrates America parade. They now live in StoryPoint Union but in their heyday they were involved in many community-good efforts. Ken was a financial adviser who served as the volunteer head of the Northern Kentucky Chamber, served three terms in the U.S. Congress, was elected judge-executive of Boone County, served on the Florence city council, was state commissioner of Veteran Affairs and more. Mary started her career in the classroom and ended it in a hospital emergency room as a surgical nurse. She was president of the Congressional Club while Ken was in Congress and led a volunteer group to China.
– The 50th anniversary of Wiseway Supply, a company founded in 1972 by the iconic Rodney ‘Biz’ Cain and his wife Jackie, who were major players in the development of community-focused Northern Kentucky. Their oldest son, John, now owns and manages the family-owned enterprise and has grown it exponentially to nine locations and two showrooms. ‘Biz’ Cain, who died at 78 in 2016, was involved in the founding of the now-transitioned Bank of Kentucky; headed the NKY Chamber; was a leader in the Home Builders Association, Tri-ED and the NKY Convention and Visitors Bureau; headed workforce development in the state; was appointed judge-executive in Kenton County; and more.
