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People to People: Ashlee Winters
Winters was picked to participate in leadership summit
For more than a year, Ashlee Winters crossed her fingers to get picked for a national program that could help her into her favorite college.
This past week, she was part of the People to People Leadership Summit at Rice University in Houston.
“I’m excited and honored to represent the Valley,” Winters, a senior at Harlingen High School South, said before the conference.
As a sophomore, math teacher Albert Alvarez nominated her for the program, she said.
“Whenever we had a project, I’d assert myself as the leader,” said Winters, the daughter of Nathan and Betty Winters.
Four months ago, the national organization picked her to be part of the conference that’s a branch of People to People Ambassador Programs, aimed at filling President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vision of fostering world leadership.
As part of the program, Winters was among students who developed a community service project for the city of Houston.
“That shows how you work among others — your work ethics and leadership skills,” she said.
Through the conference, the organization helps the students get into their favorite colleges, she said.
“They evaluate you and send the evaluation to your top five colleges,” she said.
For Winters, Vanderbilt University is the college of her dreams.
“Since I was eight years old I’ve wanted to be a lawyer and their law program is one of the top,” she said. “The chance of going to the college of your choice is a lot higher just because you’ve been to this conference.”
After returning on Saturday, she described the summit as the “most awesome and amazing” experience of her life and said she had met “life-long” friends.
Submit Slice of Life suggestions to Managing Editor Lucio Castillo or City Editor Charlene Vandini at 430-6244 or charlenev@valleystar.com.
