Eagle Award Winner: DeLay leaves lasting legacy

Lydia Urice
Podcast Editor

Zoe Senior Pic — Senior Zoe DeLay was named the Eagle Award winner. She was nominated by history teacher Betty Roberts. Photo from Zoe DeLay

“As far as extracurriculars go, I’ve become part of APAC (Asian Pacific Awareness Committee/Asian Pacific American Community), gardening club, Interact, film club, FEMCO, history club, [and] scholar bowl,” senior Zoe DeLay said.
Of all the clubs she’s a part of, she started two.

“Gardening club, I started that my sophomore year,” DeLay said. “I thought it’d be nice for students to have an outlet at the high school to just calm down and chill with plants.”

“Part of me wanted to start APAC because for a long time, I really struggled with my identity,” DeLay said. “Sometimes I felt connected to my identity, and other times it felt very forced. I just wanted to grow with other people.”
“APAC has definitely taken a shape of its own and it’s its own little community,” DeLay said.

This year, DeLay has been taking a Korean independent study.

“It helps me better understand my own history, which the fact that I was able to do that is amazing, and it has been a really great self educational experience for me,” De Lay said.

Looking forward, DeLay will attend Kenyon College.

“I’m going to major in environmental science and specialize in sustainability in the food industry,” DeLay said. “I want to do something that makes a mark and really benefits society.”

Post-college, DeLay hopes to travel to Korea to teach English, learn more about the culture and cuisine, and connect with family. She also hopes to open a farm-to-table restaurant and serve as an example of how the food industry can be climate friendly and waste conscious.

“Her work has provided a place of belonging, security and empowerment in our school community and her leadership has inspired other members to grow in their own leadership skills so the group continues to thrive after she graduates,” social studies teacher Betty Roberts said over email. “This is her legacy.”