Ardeth Greene Kapp

“As a child I didn’t have great aspirations. . . . I just knew it was important to get an education, and to try to help people. I read books about young girls who were good, and I wanted to be good, too. . . .  I had never excelled in school, but . . . I had a strong impression I should get an education, though many people told me that was foolish. . . . People sometimes have a lot of counsel for you. But finally you have to follow your own promptings, even though it may not make sense to others until later. You have to dare to walk it alone, sometimes. . . . It was kind of like climbing a ladder. I had to let go with one hand before I could take the next step. . . . [It] was a blessing in disguise. . . . I remember at BY High [School] feeling that I looked different from the other kids, that I wasn’t dressed like the other kids in the latest fashions. I learned what it is not to be in the inner circle. I know the hurt of not excelling in school when the other kids are smart, and what it’s like not to have money and resources that sometimes seem so important for you to be like all the other kids. The world is different now, but those basic needs for acceptance and approval are timeless. I also learned not to let myself dwell on the negative, and that even though I can’t always control a situation, I can control my feelings about it.”