Meet Katie Brown, Ron Bell Inspirational Leader of the Year 2018

Congratulations to Katie Brown for being chosen as the 2018 Ron Bell Inspirational Leader of the Year! Katie was the Leader of Pace Academy Girl Talk in Atlanta, GA. 

We are so happy for Katie and her wonderful accomplishment and wish her the very best in starting the next chapter of her life. 

This is her Girl Talk Story. 

“Girl Talk has been a part of my life since its beginning, and I have always been amazed by how successful it has become and by Haley Kilpatrick, the founder.

I remember my dad traveling with Haley to her appearance on “The Today Show”, attending various fundraising events, my mom reading Haley’s book, and much more.

I was in 4th grade when I first attended the Girl Talk summer camp, even before elementary schoolers were allowed. Although I was very young, I loved how everyone at camp was so warm and caring towards me. 

I continued going to camp through middle school and was a counselor my sophomore, junior, and senior year. After my first time being a counselor, I was so moved by my experience that I decided to create a chapter at my school, Pace Academy. 

Chapters had been attempted before but had never succeeded. Starting our chapter was definitely the best experience I had in high school. 

Thankfully, Pace gave me lots of freedom so I was able to plan all the schedules, lesson plans, events, and more. It was a ton of work; we met with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders each twice a month and did outside events as well. Even though it was difficult at times, it was so amazing watching our number of members grow and forming relationships with the middle schoolers. Meeting with our girls was something I always looked forward to each week.

Now that I’ve graduated, I will be passing on the reigns to an incoming senior and I can’t wait to watch our chapter flourish even more. I will be attending American University located in Washington, D.C. in the fall, studying international relations. I hope to continue helping Girl Talk in any way I can in the future. I’m so beyond grateful to Girl Talk for allowing me to build my leadership skills, and giving me the confidence necessary for me to succeed in my future.” – Katie Brown