teen spotlight
photography by Shelby Berry
stats
17, Senior at The Montgomery Academy
notable
Alabama Youth Legislature Lt. Governor; Founder and President
of MA’s Model UN Club; Speech and Debate Team Captain;
Youth Judicial Most Outstanding Defense Attorney 2015;
National Judicial Competition Outstanding Attorney 2016
quotable
“I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection.”
her story
Ellen Park is an instrumental member of MA’s student body,
taking the lead in a number of the school’s most popular clubs.
She is the Alabama Youth Legislature Lt. Governor, and has
won several prestigious awards in this organization, such as
Most Outstanding Defense Attorney and overall Outstanding
Attorney. To further facilitate her love of debate and discussion,
she founded MA’s Model United Nations Club, and currently
serves as President. When Ellen isn’t presenting a case or
developing a counter-argument, she can be found actively
participating in Mu Alpha Theta and the National Spanish
Honor Society. Her ambition is driven by her determination
and focus. She explains, “If I want something, I have to go
out and get it myself. I can’t wait for someone to do it for me.”
Ellen’s ultimate goal is to leave her mark on the world as “someone who was genuine, caring, and hardworking.”
what’s next
Ellen plans to put her years of debate practice to good use and
become a lawyer in the future.
ellen park
PG (parental guidance) rating
Ellen admires her parents’ hard work and dedication to raising
her and her brother. “My parents always encouraged me to
try everything. They would always ask ‘Why not?’ when I was
reluctant to try something. They told me that even if I failed, at
least I tried, and if I try enough times, I’ll succeed.”
Montgomery, AL
parents’ perspective
Ellen’s parents are incredibly proud of “her sense of responsibility,
her intelligence, and her hardworking attitude.” Throughout her life,
they have made it a point to encourage her to try whatever she was
interested in.
parent-to-parent
Milton and Hyesun were both taught the importance of patience
and enthusiasm as children, and they think parents today
should teach children those same values. They offer this
additional advice to other parents: “Children do not
know what they like or dislike before they really try.
Parents need to encourage their children to seize every
opportunity to develop a true sense of self.”
L30 |
Winter 2016
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