LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Despite suffering personal tragedy, Assumption High School senior Evie Palazzo is determined to make the most out of life. Her school counselor Lynnzi Hoehler said Evie is “one of the most optimistic kids I’ve ever met. She’s always positive, she’s always smiling in the hallway. I can always hear her talking to her friends, hyping them up. Honestly, I think she does it for her dad.”
Evie’s father passed away from a brain tumor during her junior year, but she keeps him alive in her heart. She said, “I’ve just learned to keep going. I hold close to the memories that I still have. You have to keep moving forward. Also, I know he’s always there with me to push me through anything. I do all this amazing stuff that I know my dad would be proud of.”
That amazing stuff includes a nearly 4.0 GPA, making 1st-team Academic All-State in archery, playing field hockey, winning the state championship in girl’s flag football and serving as president of her school’s outdoor adventure team. She’s also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She said, “I’ve always just wanted to do more. I always want to achieve more. I think learning is awesome.”
She also gives back to the community through numerous service hours for Louisville charities. In addition, she was on a Lead4Change team that won an award for educating students about human trafficking and she helped make “how to” videos for refugees that are new to America.
But her biggest passion is motorbiking. Her father introduced her to it as a young girl and it fit right in with her fearless personality. She’s incorporating her love of the sport into her Girl Scout “Gold Award” project (the equivalent of an Eagle Award for Boy Scouts).
She said “It’s a very unique topic, but I’m doing mine on women in two wheels. I plan to host an event for younger women to come talk to women in the two wheel industry to be introduced to the sport, the industry and get to know what it’s about.“
Hoehler said, “I think her dad had a huge impact on her growing up. And I think she lives out his legacy through her motocross and doing all of the activities that they did together. So I think that she maintains that positivity by living out what she feels would make him happy. But also it’s what makes her happy. So I think by just continuing on and doing the things that she loves to do, that’s how she maintains her positivity and her happiness.”
Fighting through tribulation to triumph makes Evie Palazzo a deserving High School Scholar. She plans to attend Bellarmine University and study business or accounting. Spectrum News 1 is proud to award her $1,000 toward her college education.
