Hundreds Attend Women of Achievement Awards Dinner

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The Women of Achievement Awards Dinner was tonight at the Ohio University-Zanesville/Zane State Campus Center.

Hundreds of community members were in attendance to honor the eight recipients. One award winner, Jade Willett, is only a high school senior, but she is already making a big impact at her school and in the community.

“I’m involved in Student Council, National Honor Society, Quiz Team, SADD, and I’m also involved in soccer, tennis, and swimming as well. I actually do love school, and I like being a part of the group, I like being a leader,” said Willett, the Bright Futures Award recipient.

Willet added that she received her nomination from Andrea Polen of the Muskingum Community Foundation, who wrote about the variety of clubs she’s involved in, her good characteristics, and personality. She says the volume of activities she participates in is a lot, and not easy, but possible if you work hard and stick with it.

Willet said being a part of the ceremony this evening was intimidating because of all the successful women she was surrounded by, but she was honored to be there and acknowledged it was a big opportunity for. She plans to make a decision on which college she will attend in the coming days, deciding between Trine University in Indiana, and Wright State. Willet says her goal is to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and then attend Medical School and become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon.

Sister Bernadette on the other hand has been serving the Zanesville community for 21 years and expressed gratitude for the appreciation she is shown by it’s members.

“I love people and obviously being a religious, one thing that means a lot to me is everybody’s relationship with god. But the thing I think is wonderful is that there are so many people here that appreciate the work I do so they must have the same values because they value the work that I do with people,” said Selinsky who received the Lifetime Service Award.

Sister Bernadette says while she is a parishioner at St. Nicholas, they will go to whichever church has the time for their schedule. She says her nomination and award were a complete surprise, and explained she didn’t do anything to try and earn award, only to do her best at the work she does.

A Chaplin at Genesis Healthcare System, Sister Bernadette spends time working in the Cancer Center. She said people tend to think about God most when they are ill, especially in life-threatening situations or preparing for death. She emphasized that she loves working with people looking for hope and feels it is who she is called to minister to. Very humbling, and affirmation that she does her job well is how Sister Bernadette described her emotions to winning this award.

The other award recipients were Makala Dodson (Young Adult Award), Brenda Larrick (Professions Award), Roberta “Bobbi” Lepi (Business Award), Susan McDonald (Special Recognition Award), Dr. Halle Schoener Randles (Education Award), and Claire Tiberio (Health Care Award).