Hawtrey Delivers Address at Gifted Education Week Proclamation

My name is Samantha Hawtrey, and I am a senior at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Gifted education is of great importance to me personally, but also to the whole state of Kentucky. By investing in the 17% of school-aged children who are gifted and talented, Kentucky is doing itself a favor. With institutions like the Center for Gifted Studies, Kentucky Association for Gifted Education, and my own Gatton Academy, gifted education in Kentucky is already incredibly advanced. The improvement of Kentucky’s educational system does not merely mean raising standards at the lowest levels of achievement; it can also be greatly affected by removing barriers at the top.

You may wonder who I am to make such claims about Kentucky’s education systems. I am one of the 645,000 students currently enrolled in Kentucky public schools, and more specifically, I am one of the 111,000 gifted and talented students in Kentucky. I can personally vouch for the infinite possibilities created by gifted education programs throughout the state. As a student at the Gatton Academy, I have spent my junior and senior years of high school taking entirely college courses, conducting research, and studying abroad with peers who have a passion for learning. I have had the opportunity to study courses such as Bioinformatics, Organic Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, and Computer Science. Last year I isolated a bacteriophage virus in a program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I have presented my work at the US Naval Academy in Maryland, HHMI’s research facilities in Virginia, and Western Kentucky University’s Research Conference in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I also coauthored a research paper that was published in the Journal of Experimental Secondary Science this fall. I am currently using fruit flies to conduct cancer research. I have been able to work with university professors in high-tech laboratories that few undergraduate students have access to. Last January I and fifteen other academy students studied biodiversity at Cloudbridge Nature reserve in Costa Rica. I live on the campus of Western Kentucky University with 124 students who are just as excited about learning as I am. I have access to supportive advisors who push me to make the most of every opportunity and equip me to do so. These two years at the academy have opened my eyes to a world filled with possibilities. There is no limit to what I can pursue except my own motivation. This incredible experience has radically changed my life, giving me the chance to reach my full potential and enabling me to discover my passion for the medical field, which I hope to enter someday.

When the importance of gifted education is properly acknowledged, the whole state of Kentucky will benefit. As young minds are allowed to pursue their passion for learning and maximize their potential early on, they will grow up to become better engineers, doctors, computer programmers, and teachers. By supporting gifted education now, we are ensuring a brighter future for Kentucky in the years to come. And that is something worth looking forward to!

To all the legislators, senators, decision makers and educators who have made gifted education in Kentucky possible, thank you.