She has been a standout soccer player in the fall during her time at University Heights Academy. In fact she was among the best defensive players across the region. In the spring, you could find her on the track for UHA, and not just on the track, but performing at a high level. In between, she supported the Blazers and Lady Blazers as a member of the cheerleading squad during basketball season.
Those accomplishments and her level of performance would make Piper Hancock an outstanding young lady and young athlete in her own right. But, her achievements and involvement do not stop at the edge of the field or the court. Accomplished might not be a big enough word for this young lady from University Heights.
When you try to cover what she has achieved to this point in her young life, the biggest question becomes where to start. We will start off with the fact that she is a very “distinguished” young lady, which you can attest to if you have ever had the chance to meet her.
Back in September, Piper was among the winners in the 2022 Distinguished Young Woman of Christian County. Overall, she finished as the First Runner-Up. She was also Second Runner-Up in Overall Scholastics. She was recognized for Fitness and Self Expression. The other participants in the competition voted Piper as the recipient of the DYW Spirit Award. She was also recognized as one of the winners of the All-In Grit Award.
The Distinguished Young Women of Christian County Scholarship Program showcases overall talent, fitness, scholastics, interview skills, and self-expression. Participants compete for approximately $4,000 in cash scholarships, with one winner being selected as the 2022 “Distinguished Young Woman of Christian County” — who represents the area in the “Distinguished Young Woman of Kentucky.”
The “Distinguished Young Women of Christian County” scholarship program serves as an official preliminary of the “Distinguished Young Women of America” — which is the oldest and largest scholarship program for high school senior females of its type. Since 1958, the organization has awarded more than $90 million in cash and college-granted scholarships to colleges and universities nationwide.
Piper also has developed her leadership skills while in high school at UHA. In her junior year, she was elected as Senior Beta Vice President. Which also meant that she would assume the role of President for her senior year.
She was also selected to represent the Class of 2022 on the Student Council at University Heights.
If you see Piper holding office someday not too far down the road, don’t be surprised. Her list of achievements with the Kentucky Youth Assembly is quite impressive. She has received the Kentucky Youth Assembly Delegation of Excellence award. This award is given by the Y-Staff at the Kentucky Youth Assembly.
Piper’s delegation earned the award by participating in debate, having full caucus participation, and exemplifying the Y’s core values of respect, honesty, responsibility, and caring for others. She also received the Outstanding Bluegrass Bill at Kentucky Youth Assembly. In order to receive this award, your bill must pass in both the House and the Senate at Kentucky Youth Assembly. Piper has also been part of a delegation that was presented with the Premiere Delegation Award.
She was chosen for the Hopkinsville Youth Leadership Program Class of 2019. The Hopkinsville Youth Leadership Program is a year-long program that is designed to cultivate young community leaders.
She also excels in the area of music. Piper was chosen for the 2019 Quad State Jr. High School Festival Chorus. The Quad State Jr. High School Festival is a music workshop held at Murray University where roughly 250 students gather for a day to rehearse and perform major choral and orchestral pieces. She was one of ten from University Heights Academy who auditioned and was chosen to participate in this festival.
With everything that she has been involved in, athletically and otherwise, it would be hard to fathom that she has much time to “give back” to the community around her, but such has been the case. Piper has been greatly involved in volunteer work in both her school community and the community at large. She has volunteered with the Pryme Tyme program at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary. Pryme Tyme is a service provided by the YMCA that partners with local elementary schools to provide year-round care and opportunities for at-risk children. While there, she tutored children and helped them with their homework.
Piper has also volunteered with Operation Christmas Child, which is an organization that sends small boxes filled with gifts to impoverished children in foreign countries. Another of her activities has been with the Fellowship of Christain Students Valentine Cards effort. Several students in FCS made Valentine’s Day cards that decorated the school on people’s lockers and on bathroom stall doors and mirrors. She has also spent time during the holiday season ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.
Piper excels in the classroom. This is by no means the full list of what she has accomplished academically, just a sampling of what her work in the classroom has generated. Her list of academic honors include:
– Varsity Soccer 4.0 Award, which is given to student-athletes who have a 4.0-grade point average
by the end of the soccer season.
-8th District All-District Academic Team Award, which is presented to varsity athletes who have maintained the minimum of a 3.25-grade point average over the course of their season. Piper has won this award during both soccer and cheerleading seasons.
– Inducted into the Sheila Higgins Chapter of the National Honor Society. To join this club, a student must be in at least 10th grade and have at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.
This, by no means, covers the full list of things Piper has managed to accomplish, but rather is just a sample that shows she is truly one of the “Triple As.”
