Titans student athlete Ann Elise Kadela is focused on ‘cradling’ more than a lacrosse ball, but rather her community.
Her service journey started with something as typical as Girl Scouts.
Little did we know then that her commitment to community would end up being far from typical.
From Key Club president to Tudor House teen ambassador, Kadela’s focus is ‘we’ before ‘me.’
“It’s important because I feel like we all need to pitch in to our community one way or another,” she said. “Like, we’re all fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, so why don’t we just make it better? Why don’t we contribute to the beauty of this place?”
Hidden Valley Principal Josh Whitlow spoke highly of Kadela and her unwavering commitment to uplift her community: “We’ve got a number of teachers who are really focused on social capital and trying to help people understand the value of doing good things for their communities, and so for a lot of years now we’ve seen students take that mantle on, and Ann Elise is exactly one of those students who has done that.”
The Titans senior is the near-perfect example of a complete student-athlete. The Beta Club Honor Society member and Titans varsity lacrosse player has also been in the pool with the CCA Marlins since she was in grade school.
Kadela is a four-time VHSL state qualifier and was the consummate team captain, leading the way for the younger Hidden Valley swimmers.
“She was the team captain this year, and the kids vote,” said Hidden Valley swim coach Keller Sadler. “We don’t do that, so we had 30-some kids vote on two girls, and she was one of the girls, and I think they see that. I think they see that she’s committed to swimming, she’s committed to school. She goes to school all day, swims in the morning, swims with us, and she was just a cheerleader for the kids who didn’t have a lot of experience. Wanted to help them on tweaking little turns and starts.”
“I’ve learned numerous life skills such as teamwork, dedication, and thanks to my coaches, I wouldn’t be here anywhere without my coaches,” Kadela said. “They’ve really helped me stick through the sport and continue to swim- and my teammates.”
Kadela will carry her advanced studies diploma to Virginia Tech, along with a passion for friends, family and community. And the knowledge that she’s a 2025 winner of a WSLS scholarship.
In addition, WSLS is also providing a pair of $1,000 scholarships. The female winner of the WSLS $1,000 scholarship is Madison Grace Austin of Tunstall High School.
Madison is a varsity softball and volleyball athlete who excels in Academics as well. She attends the local Governor’s school in her area(Pittsylvania County).
She is active in multiple organizations, including Beta Club, the Interact Club and the Student Council Association. She is headed to Virginia Tech to study interior design.