Madisonville-North Hopkins’ Albany Ray is an accomplished high school athlete in both archery and tennis. But, not only does she excel in athletic competition for the Maroon programs, she is a standout in the classroom, her school community, and her community at large and it is the combination of all of those that has placed her as a Chick-fil-A ‘Triple A.’
Start in the classroom, where Albany, to use a tennis term, is acing it. She has a weighted GPA of 4.318 and an unweighted GPA of 4.0, ranking her in the very top of her class at Madisonville-North Hopkins. And, her academic accomplishments have been attained while taking numerous AP courses. In fact, Albany has been named an AP Scholar with Distinction in 2024, meaning she had scored 3+ on at least five AP exams.
To date, she has completed seven AP classes with two more underway this fall. Now that is a classroom workload.
With her work in the classroom, Albany was selected to be a part of the 2024 Governor’s Scholars program. The Governor’s Scholars Program strives to enhance Kentucky’s next generation of civic and economic leaders. Established in 1983, the program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program with a full co-curricular and residential life experience. Students must complete an application and compete with others from across the state. Those selected attend the program free of charge.
Albany is extensively involved in her school community at Madisonville-North Hopkins. Her involvement list includes the Key Club, where she has served as President and President-Elect. High school student members of Key Club perform acts of service in their communities, such as cleaning up parks, collecting clothing, and organizing food drives. They also learn leadership skills by running meetings, planning projects, and holding elected leadership positions at the club, district, and international levels.
She has also been involved with FBLA, the Leo Club, the Beta Club, the Literature Club, the Spanish Club, FCCLA, and FFA. Albany has been in some form of leadership in almost all of the above organizations.
Albany played a key role in reinstating the Leo Club at MNHHS, which is the youth member program associated with the Lions Club after it had been inactive for over 10 years. She served as President and oversaw an effort that focused on service in the local community, including food drives and raising money to fund a community blessings box.
Leo Clubs encourage youths to develop leadership qualities by participating in social service activities. They conduct various projects in the fields of health care, elders, children, disabled people, literacy and education, and self-development. Leo Clubs are sponsored by Lions Clubs and comprise an official program of Lions Clubs International.
Speaking of leadership, do not be surprised if someday you look up and see Albany Ray in an elected position or leading a major corporation, as this outstanding young lady obviously has leadership skills beyond her years.
In addition to the leadership positions in school clubs, Albany has been deeply involved in the Student Council at Madisonville-North Hopkins since her freshman year. She also was selected to take part in the prestigious Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program at Berea College.
The program strives to inspire and prepare future young leaders for a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. It “empowers young people to dream big, make an impact, and change the world.”
Their programs are “designed to educate, motivate, and activate students, giving them the tools they need to turn their ideas into action and reach their goals.”
Albany was presented with the University of Louisville’s Yarmuth Book Award. The award is presented to high-achieving, civic-minded students. She was also selected to represent Madisonville-North Hopkins High School at Western Kentucky University’s High School Leadership Conference.
Albany notes “I’m proud that my peers and advisors trust me enough to represent and lead them in all of the different organizations that I’m a part of. I want to make a difference through the roles that I’ve been elected for.
And this young lady most certainly believes in giving back to her community. Albany helped to organize a community donation drive for Western North Carolina hurricane relief. Her efforts included transporting donations and volunteering onsite.
Back in 2021, she assisted with the distribution and organization of donations and meals to residents in the Dawson Springs area, who were affected by the historic tornado that ravaged the area.
Albany has spent time tutoring local elementary school students who needed academic assistance and has tutored Hispanic residents in the area who needed help with English language skills.
Those are just a few of the ‘highlights’ of the immense community service this young lady has been involved with. Even with all of her athletic time, classes and study time, and school involvement, Albany has still done wonderful things for the community around her.
When it comes to awards and honors, Albany Ray has a long list of those too, with those recognitions coming on a school, regional, and state level.
Albany says she is proud of “having the opportunity to make a difference in my community through many different organizations and programs that are meant to help the community. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to be successful at sports and school while also being able to give back to my community.”
She adds “I’ve had the privilege of seeing the compassion and kindness that the world is capable of, and I’m extremely grateful for every single person who works towards bettering our communities.”
There is so much more that could be said about this young lady and all that she has accomplished at this young age. But, you should get the picture by now that Albany Ray truly is one of those, well worthy of being a Chick-fil-A ‘Triple A.’
One Response
Albany is a wonderful girl. Very smart and great common sense ethics. Beautiful inside and out. She is a go getter and works to succeed. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this brilliant young lady.