On Thursday, April 16, woman of achievement and former model, Kathy Ireland, came to Padua to share her story with the community. After speaking with the students and faculty of Padua, she moved on to speak at Padua’s Women’s Achievement Dinner on Thursday night.

Kathy Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but has since become a prominent actress, entrepreneur, and author. She is also a huge advocate in the fight to end Human Trafficking, which is a subject Padua has been trying to learn more about throughout this school year.

During her speech to the Padua student body, Kathy spoke about how God and her faith has helped her in her career. She gave us advice and told us that by following God and always having Him in your life, anything is possible. She shared her story with everyone and talked about how her career has evolved over the years, and, more importantly, how she learned to follow her dreams of starting her own brand. Kathy also shared an inspiring stories about how the prejudice against women in business has only helped her career and taught her many lessons rather than bring her down. After speaking about her life and her journey, she answered questions from students and gave great advice on topics including religion, leadership, confidence, and goals. Amber Owens (‘18) thought the speech was very inspiring and insightful. She states, “I think Kathy Ireland is a great example of a woman of achievement. It is obvious that she has a passion for what she does and loves being able to make an impact on the lives of those around her.”

Overall, Padua Academy was extremely lucky to be able to host Kathy Ireland, and the stories and thoughts she brought to our school will continue to have a great effect on those in the community.