2020 Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award Recipient Announced
ANN ARBOR, MI, April 14, 2020 – The Joyce Ivy Foundation recently announced the names of eighty-three young women selected as 2020 Summer Scholars. From this group of Scholars, Lindsay Pico, a junior studying at Berkley High School, has been selected to receive the 2020 Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award.
Mary Vandewiele, a Metro Detroit entrepreneur and advocate for women and their leadership development, established the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award in 2013, and it is awarded annually to a Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholar who demonstrates leadership, academic promise, and exceptional commitment to their school and home communities. Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars engage in both academic and leadership development during their summer program experiences at highly selective colleges and universities.
“Beyond providing scholarships, we love connecting our Scholars with women who can be instrumental in their educational and professional paths,” said Brittany Knight, Executive Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. “Mary Vandewiele is one of these women. We are so grateful for her longstanding commitment to supporting our Scholars, both during their summer experiences and beyond. Lindsay, congratulations on being named the eighth recipient of the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award!”
Lindsay Pico, of Berkley, Michigan, is a junior studying at Berkley High School. Lindsay has a passion for sustainability and she, along with a few of her peers, created an Environmental Science Club at school. She currently serves as its Vice President. Outside of school, Lindsay works at the Berkley Public Library and enjoys writing short stories. Lindsay is a standout academic student as reflected in her transcript and standardized test scores. She hopes to participate in a two-week program through Brown University this summer.
“Each year, I am honored and challenged in choosing that ‘one gifted young woman’ in a pool of ‘very gifted young women,’” said Mary Vandewiele. “Lindsay exhibits a rare quality in that she has the ability to draw from her life experiences and creatively use them to impart knowledge to others around difficult issues. She seems to have an innate ability of knowing how to lead by helping others to first understand. To me, this is the essence of a great leader.”
“Receiving the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award is as honoring and encouraging as it is surprising,” said Lindsay Pico. “I’ve discovered I’m capable of fantastic things, especially in ways I’ve discounted myself before. That’s the beauty of Joyce Ivy and the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award: both empower me and many other young women in unexpected ways. Thank you, Joyce Ivy and Mary Vandewiele, for working to forge a new world where everyone can be passionate, proud, and powerful.”
The 2020 Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars have the opportunity to participate in summer programming at eleven partner colleges and universities: Barnard College, Brown University, Cornell University, Emory University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smith College, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University.
