Henry Kissinger

By in Leadership, Political Leaders

“I could never forget what an inspiration it had been to the victims of persecution, to my family, and to me during cruel and degrading years. I always remembered the thrill when I first walked the streets of New York City. Seeing a group of boys, I began to cross the other side to avoid being beaten up. And then I remembered where I was.” -Henry Kissinger.       Henry Kissinger, who fled  Nazi Germany at age 15,  proved the American dream  true.  He started with nothing  and gained everything  throughout a life that impacted  others around the world.  Henry Kissinger has achieved  many roles throughout his life.  Three of his main accomplishments are serving as a National Security Adviser for President Richard Nixon (1968), acting as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Gerald Ford and winning the Nobel Peace Prize (1973). Background Henry...

Michael Jordan: G.O.A.T

By in Sports Leaders, Uncategorized

By Nick Sidotti Wagner ’17 Introduction Michael Jordan, who was originally  cut from his high school basketball team, who then proved all of his doubters wrong when he went on to get a full scholarship to North Carolina University where right off the bat he was the star player.  After three strong years, he began his quest to living the American dream.  Due to his assassin mentality to win, leadership, along with his dedication and passion towards basketball, he is known to be the greatest player to ever touch a basketball. Quote “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan   Greatest Accomplishments 1. Becoming the GREATEST basketball player ever/ HOF Member Michael Jordan was known as a basketball prodigy since he was young.  He was a sure leader, who was confident and had a powerful will to win and be...

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By in Human Rights, Political Leaders

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her that meant be your own person, be independent.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg   Introduction   Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a current Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, was born on March 15, 1933. Before her time in the federal court, she was a professor of law at Rutgers and then at Columbia University. Having assumed office in 1993 under the Clinton administration and still going strong today at age 80, Ginsburg has left quite a legacy; infact, her being appointed to the Supreme Court in and of itself was a landmark moment in U.S. judicial history, what with Ginsburg being only the second female appointed to the Supreme Court (Sandra Day O’Connor being the first) and being the first Jewish female to be appointed. “I would not like to be the only woman in the court.”   Whether this was her intent...

Judge Sonia Sotomayor: The 1st Latina Supreme Court Judge

By in Political Leaders

“As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.” ―   Sonia Sotomayor   Many people in the United States know the name Sonia Sotomayor for being the first Latina to be a member of the Supreme Court, but that is not all she has done. Sonia Sotomayor’s working class childhood separates her from her fellow judges, and this is what makes her so interesting. Both her parents were born in Puerto Rico and came to New York for a better life. She is the perfect example of the American Dream, exemplifying the benefits of hard work and motivation. She has dedicated her life to working for people of all backgrounds and helping them gain justice through the law. Through her great leadership skills and emotional intelligence, she is able to be an inspiration to young...

Jim Valvano: The Fighter

By in Sports Leaders

By TJ Schwannecke Wagner '17 “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up” – Jim Valvano Just eight weeks before Jim Valvano died of Cancer, he gave an inspirational speech at the 1993 ESPY awards. In his opening words, he said, “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that is a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”  At the end of this prominent speech, he announced, with the help of ESPN that he would be dedicating the rest of his life to cancer research, known as The V Foundation. Since 2012, The V Foundation has raised 120 million dollars toward cancer research. Jim Valvano started as a basketball coach who won a national championship, but is better known for his character, inspirational ESPYs speech, and creating The V Foundation after being diagnosed himself. Personal James Thomas Valvano was born on March...

Rachel Carson: Mother of The Environmental Movement

By in Environmental Leaders

    Nicholas Cole 17′ and Michael Tomao 17′ “There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings … Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change … There was a strange stillness … The few birds seen anywhere were moribund; they trembled violently and could not fly. It was a spring without voices. On the mornings that had once throbbed with the dawn chorus of scores of bird voices there was now no sound; only silence lay over the fields and woods and marsh.” The writer and scientist Rachel Carson is an uplifting leader who inspires generations through her unique introverted character and countless achievements.  Concerned about the increasing use of pesticides like DDT, Rachel Carson sought to warn America about the horrific dangers of using chemical pesticides in the era following...