As written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on February 27, 2025
The second annual Dream Big Summit took place on Thursday at Washington High School.
Hosted by the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), guest speakers came to teach students leadership skills and encourage them to pursue their dream career.
Amy Panzarella led the opening session for the event, focusing on how it takes resilience, growth and grit to succeed. Panzarella is a HR professional, who offers consulting, training and development and leadership coaching. She has volunteered at Washington High School in various ways since 2009, helping students write resumes and build their confidence. She spoke at the first Dream Big Summit last year and was excited to come back.
During her opening session, Panzarella explained to the students that everyone’s path to success is different. Everyone has different goals and values, and sometimes it can be scary to travel on that path alone, but it can also be exciting. She encouraged them to be their authentic selves and keep pushing forward.
“Despite the criticism and failures they face, if they stay focused and determined, they will achieve their dreams,” Panzarella said. “ As long as they have the tenacity and grit, they will accomplish what they set out to do.”
Washington High School senior Jamie Aronhalt attended the event last year as a guest. She felt so inspired that she ended up joining NTHS and helped plan the event this year. Aronhalt helped reach out to guest speakers and keynote speakers to talk about important topics and lead workshops about making resumes, practicing interview skills, networking and more.
Aronhalt shared that the Dream Big Summit is important, because NTHS members only have a short time each week to talk during their meetings. They don’t have time to talk about these important topics, so having a day dedicated to these workshops will help students like her reach their goals.
“It gives us the chance to explore different paths we can take,” Aronhalt said. “We can make important connections, and (it) just gets us out there.”
Aronhalt shared that it’s through this event that she became more comfortable with public speaking and learned how to talk to just about anyone. Many of the sessions are interactive, forcing students outside their comfort zone and teaching them how to talk with others in certain situations, such as a job interview or meeting.
Levi Glover is another student who helped organize the event. Glover joined NTHS after learning about the program from his teacher, Heather Fauble, who also serves as the NTHS advisor. Like Aronhalt, he learned a lot from the Dream Big Summit, specifically about networking.
Glover plans to pursue a degree in computer science at West Virginia University after graduation. The workshops helped equip him with the skills he needs in the future to make that dream a reality.