Whiz Kid to Meet Condoleezza Rice

Ashley Campbell doesn’t let her slight Jamaican accent or the color of her skin differentiate her from her classmates. Her effervescent personality and dedicated academic drive do that on their own.

Today, she is meeting with Condoleezza Rice as one of the local Scholars of the Year winners, according to Hoover Principal Amanda Rothengast. Campbell said she plans to use the $1,000 prize money for college.

As for where, the world is her oyster. Campbell said she initially wanted to apply to Stanford, but is not considering international options like London or Tokyo.

“She’s the poster child of the school,” Assistant Principal Lou Matteucci said. “She’s what we want all students to be like.”

To receive the prestigious honor, Campbell had to write eight different essays on topics ranging from her community to her academics and then give a final speech in front of the committee. Listen to her speech to the right.

“The application process was very difficult,” Campbell said. “But I’m a writer and I enjoyed writing about my family and how they motivate me. Because of them I am a warrior.”

She said she attributes much of her academic drive to her mother, who didn’t receive an education and works multiple jobs to support her and her two siblings.  When she was seven years old, she and her mother and two siblings left their father behind in St. Thomas to escape poverty in hopes of a better life.

In a school that is predominantly Hispanic, Campbell said she was immediately judged by her skin color.

“But I thought, ‘this is my home, I’m not going anywhere,” Campbell said. “And then they grew to look beyond that.”

This year, her peers elected her as Student Council Secretary.

“If you close your eyes, you wouldn’t know that Ashley wasn’t Hispanic,” he said of her ability to get along with her peers. “She has such a good sense of humor and always asks how you’re doing.”

Matteucci selected Campbell as one of the Community Service Award winners for her involvement in helping others. She volunteers in the Family Center at Hoover, which provides family care, financial aid, food stamps and other forms of help. She is also assists a math teacher and volunteers her time in the Main Office.

Ultimately, Campbell said she wishes to be a doctor or a nurse.

“Thinking back to the time when I was in St. Thomas is scary,” she said. “People there are dying every day and I just have the urge to help them.”