STEPHANIE HERZOG

More often than not, people develop an interest in politics and community affairs in the later stages of life- most of us take decades to mature to the point that we realize our responsibility to those around us….Genna Defalco is a definite exception to that rule.

At only eighteen years old, this senior from Vero Beach High School approaches her role in life with an ambition that is scarcely seen in adults these days. Genna has campaigned for and been awarded student body president her freshman, sophomore & junior years, and is currently serving her fellow students as president of the entire student government. 

In her role as student body president, Genna particularly shines in planning extra curricular events such as prom and homecoming, and says her favorite aspect of these occasions is the intense school spirit shown by so many of her peers. Genna, along with about 80 student volunteers, organizes the numerous school happenings at Vero Beach High School with enthusiasm from start to finish.

By participating in student government and engaging her classmates to take an active roll in their academia, Genna and her classmates are cultivating a proactive approach to life which many adults are lacking.

In addition to all her efforts for the Student Government Association or SGA, Genna is also extremely active in the arts programs at Vero Beach High School- she participates in competition drama and the symphony orchestra, as well as holding the position of captain of the concert orchestra. One might think all those school activities would keep Genna’s schedule permanently full, but this ambitious teenager is also very passionate about developing herself outside of school, particularly in her role as Junior Staff Leader of the Rotary youth Leadership Assembly.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly, or RYLA, is an organization in which outstanding young adults are chosen during their sophomore year of high school to participate with students from other schools in a four day long workshop. The RYLA holds this event every year at a hotel in Port Saint Lucie, and offers this select group of students an upbeat, positive four day learning course geared toward cultivating exemplary young students into well-rounded adults. Subjects discussed at the seminar include leadership skills, public speaking, working with peers, and all the general skills associated with growing into a successful professional.

During the RYLA program, everyone is encouraged to interact with the group at large, and students are also challenged on a more interpersonal level when they are broken up into groups and assigned a “Change The World Project” to complete together. The object of this project is to encourage students to think in terms of their future impact on their environment- what can be done day by day to make the world a better place?

The students work on their group assignment throughout the four day program and are asked to present a skit on the last day that represents their ideas to the rest of the students.

After these various presentations, the entire group of students get together at the end of the workshop to brainstorm different ways they intend to “keep up the momentum” in their schools and communities at large. In other words, they all come up with ideas to keep the spirit of positivity and community activism from the workshop going all year long, until the next RYLA program. By keeping the positive impact of RYLA going all year, these students learn the difference between being a part of something great, and being the start of something great.

Yet another way she maintains an active and constructive role in our community year round is through her participation with various charities through VBHS, such as the Wounded Warrior Project. Genna, along with many other students from Vero Beach High School, have written letters and sent care packages to deployed or injured soldiers in need of support from home.

According to Genna, the most meaningful aspect of participating has been seeing the impact a simple letter can have on one of these real life heroes.

Now in the trenches of her senior year, and armed with so many life skills already, Genna is as always, looking to the future. In addition to her constant activities with Student Government, the school orchestra, and the competitive drama program, she is also in the process of planning the prom and homecoming for the upcoming year.

After graduation, she has her sights set on attending Flagler College in St Augustine, and is applying early decision later this year. With an uplifting outlook like hers, and the ambition to back it up, Genna will undoubtably bring lasting benefit on whatever path she takes.