Queen spreads message of perseverance
Miss Pennsylvania Elena LaQuatra reads “The Dream” to second-graders at Washington Park Elementary School on Friday, March 11. “The Dream” was written and illustrated by Washington seventh-graders Ethan Fine and Ryan Bristow.
Miss Pennsylvania Elena LaQuatra visited Shawn Arent’s Washington Park Elementary School second-grade classroom on Friday, March 11. LaQuatra encouraged the students to never give up on their dreams.
Miss Pennsylvania Elena LaQuatra asks Dustin Sondheimer, left, if he has a girlfriend after Sondheimer told LaQuatra he thought she was pretty. LaQuatra visited the students to tell them to never give up on their dreams.
Washington Park Elementary School students Abigail Andrews, left, and Layla Vellingiri touch Miss Pennsylvania USA Elena LaQuatra’s crown.
Elena LaQuatra received the welcome of a pop star when she entered a classroom at Washington Park Elementary Friday morning.
“I felt like Beyonce,” LaQuatra said.
The second-graders in Shawn Arent’s class clapped and cheered as the current Miss Pennsylvania USA made her way through the room, stopping to talk to every student, one of whom told LaQuatra she was pretty.
But the pageant queen was there to talk about more than physical beauty. She was there to teach a lesson of perseverance.
When she was 4 years old, LaQuatra lost her hearing due to bacterial meningitis. After several surgeries and rehabilitation, she hears with a cochlear implant.
LaQuatra spoke about her determination to achieve her dreams. Despite hearing and balance issues, the Mt. Lebanon graduate performed in musicals, danced and played the drums. She is now an on-air personality with a Pittsburgh television station.
LaQuatra asked students to identify obstacles to achieving their goals.
One student said she wanted to be a cheerleader, but couldn’t because of a health issue. “Don’t let that stop you,” LaQuatra said. “There are always people around to help you achieve your dreams.”
LaQuatra is the perfect example of determination and will, Arent said. The teacher wants her students to have the confidence to work toward their goals.
“Sometimes, things don’t come as easy to all of us, but that is not a reason to stop trying,” Arent said. “I want my kids to get the message: Don’t let anyone say you can’t.”
LaQuatra read “The Dream,” a book written and illustrated by Washington seventh-graders Ethan Fine and Ryan Bristow, about a kid who tries out for the basketball team.
Arent found the book, written when Fine and Bristow were in fourth grade for a class project, in the school library and was thrilled the message coincided with LaQuatra’s.
Before leaving, LaQuatra took photos with every student.
“What a respectful and lovely group of kids,” LaQuatra said. “I’m happy to share this message with them.”