Members of Young Progressive Women's Association to Participate in "Moving Up" Ceremony on April 7
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on March 31, 2024
The Progressive Women’s Association of Harrison County will host a Moving Up Ceremony to honor the members of the Young Progressive Women’s Association. The YWPA was formed about five years ago and worked under and in conjunction with the PWA. Seven of the original and early members will be graduating from high school and “moving up" to the next stage of their lives.
Th ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 7, at the Uptown Event Center in Clarksburg and attendance is by invitation only. The young ladies will be designated as Young Women of Distinction. Delivering remarks will be Rhonda Holyfield Mangieri who is also the sponsor of this program.
Betty Felts has been the director of this program since it’s inception. Nicole Osborn will be assuming this position in the future. One of the many yearly projects of this group are decorating the doors of the residents at the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg and filling stockings for the residents at Christmas.
The officers of the PWA will be participating in this ceremony with a special guest from the Harrison County Commission. Following the “moving up” ceremony, refreshments will be served. Rosalyn Queen is in charge of the arrangements for this event.
Those young ladies to be honored are.
Shaelyn Capicola
Introducing Shaelyn Capicola , one of the senior members of the YPWA! Shaelyn is a senior at Liberty High School, where she serves as the student body president. She has been part of the Liberty High School cross country and track teams the last four years and the soccer team for the last two years.
She looks forward to continuing her cross country and track career at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She will study athletic training and nutrition. Shaelyn loves the community outreach the YPWA does and all the great memories and friendships she has made through it.
Carleigh Curotz
Carleigh Curotz has been a member of the YPWA since her freshman year. She is a senior this year at Robert C. Byrd High School where she is a member of the National honor society and a part of the student council.
Carleigh is involved with all sports teams including soccer, basketball, and track. Her favorite thing about the YPWA Is that she gets to better the community little by little while also getting to spend time with her friends, and they are very flexible with her busy schedule. She is looking forward to her final year with YPWA before she heads to college and hopes to make it the best year yet!
Mary Felts
Mary Felts Mary is one of the founding members of the YPWA. Mary is a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School.
She has been part of the golf team for the past four years and looks forward to continuing her golf career at West Virginia Wesleyan College in the fall of 2024 where she will study Criminal Justice and Journalism. Mary loves the work she has been able to accomplish with the YPWA and looks forward to seeing what the future holds for the group.
Brooke Lister
Brooke has been a longtime member of the YPWA. She is a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School and plans attend college to eventually become a geneticist.
Brooke is involved in many things throughout high school including musicals student council national honors society and more. She has also participated in soccer and basketball. In her free time, she enjoys working and babysitting as well as spending time with her friends and family and giving back to the community.
She is a board member of the YPWA and her favorite part of the group is that it allows girls to give back to the community in ways that are meaningful to them. She looks forward to her final year with the group before college and is excited to see all the wonderful things that become of the group in the future.
Gabby Nixon
Gabby is a founding member of the YPWA. She is a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School and is a member of the golf and tennis teams as well as involved in many clubs. Gabby plans to attend West Virginia Wesleyan College in the fall and be a member of the golf team there.
Her favorite part of this group is giving back to the community she lives in.
Ava Starkey
Ava has been a part of the Young Progressive Women’s Association for four years. She is currently a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School and plans to continue her education this fall at West Virginia University.
She is a four-year member of the RCB soccer team and a two-year member of the tennis team. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and reading. Her favorite part of YPWA is getting the chance to help her community.
Sophia Wagoner
Sophia Wagoner is a founding member of the YPWA and is currently a senior at Robert C. Byrd High School. She is a member of Thespians, Student Council, and the Tennis team.
She plans on continuing her education at West Virginia University in the fall to study Biomedical Engineering. She loves all the friends and experiences YPWA has given her and cannot wait to share that with younger girls.
