Get to know the young lady chosen to be New Orleans’ 2025 Joan of Arc. She will receive a travel scholarship to visit the Rotary Club of Orléans. This scholarship is made possible thru donations of friends and members of the New Orleans Rotary Club. Watch for news of some fund raisers with proceeds going to this scholarship. Additionally, we receive funds from CODOFIL- Council for the Development of French in Louisiana. Peggy Feehan, Executive Director, will join us on Jan 8 and speak at the meeting. The young Maid of Orleans will be portrayed by LIFE SACCO, a senior at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans with a multifaceted identity rooted in academics, community service, and her cultural heritage. Proficient in Spanish and fluent in French and English, she began her education at Lycée Français de la Nouvelle Orleans and studied there for 9 years, learning French. Her annual trips to Puerto Rico to visit family deepen her connection to the island and the Spanish language. She has earned the Prix d’Excellence Union Française and a scholarship to the prestigious ASM International Camp for Engineering, and she plans to study biomedical or manufacturing engineering. As the founder of Canvassing Life, Life raised $3,200 to support small businesses in New Orleans during the pandemic, and through the ACTIONS community service organization, she has led the Vulnerable and Poverty subcommittees, where she raised $8,300 for Covenant House through the Sleepout to combat youth homelessness. “To represent Joan is daunting,” Life said in her acceptance speech. “She was extraordinary, yes, but also human. She made mistakes, cried, doubted herself, and kept going anyway. When I think about Joan, I don’t just think about the saint in shining armor. I think about the girl from a small village, scared out of her mind the first time she picked up a sword. Her story should remind us that vulnerability and courage can exist at the same time.” |
