Four prominent female leaders in the Statesboro community made up a powerful panel that addressed 34 girls from William James Middle School earlier this month at the first local GIRLS Academy, staffed by volunteers from the Zeta Upsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at Georgia Southern University.

Nuggets of wisdom and bits of advice - words that could best be heeded by either gender, any race, any age - were offered by the panel to middle school girls nominated by teachers and faculty of William James.

The girls took part in the day-and-a-half event, spending the night at William James Middle School. While there, the girls met in small and large groups, attended the panel event and completed a service project for their school, all the while learning about respecting themselves and others.

GIRLS Academy (GIRLS is an acronym for "celebrating being a girl," "inspiration," "respect for self and others," "leadership" and "service") is a national event throughout North American Kappa Kappa Gamma organizations that is an interactive program to empower and encourage girls in grades six through eight.

Tan Adams, Georgia Power area manager; Dr. Jean Bartels, interim president of Georgia Southern University, who holds the distinction of being the first female president of Georgia Southern; Kathy Bradley, assistant district attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, published author, newspaper columnist and speaker; and Mayor Jan Moore, dean of students at Ogeechee Technical College, who holds the distinction of being Statesboro's first female mayor, comprised up the inspiring panel.

Moore, who earned the title of "first female" long before becoming mayor, told the girls, "The only person that is going to limit you is yourself."

Sharing a high school story, she said, "I loved to play golf, but I told my dad there was no girls' golf team to which he replied, ‘So, what's the problem?'"

Moore landed a spot on the SHS golf team, becoming the first girl to do so.

Kathy Bradley echoed a similar thought: "Believe that you are capable of doing what you want to do. Don't measure what you can do by what people say you can do."

Bradley said that three of the 11 lawyers in her office are female, and she sometimes deals with issues she dealt with when she first graduated from law school 35 years ago, adding, "But I'm better at it. Because I didn't let it get the best of me."

Adams, who said she was often not only the first female in a particular position, but also the first or only African American in the office, said, "Don't let your differences stop you from stepping out for something you want to do."

Adams, who was a single mother in college, too, said, "No matter what obstacle you face, keep that tenacity. As you get older, it gets better - not easier - just different.

"As you go through and conquer each obstacle, you might think you'll never get through it, but you will. And that obstacle - I like to call it an opportunity - will help you get through the next opportunity."

Addressing her sometimes-uniqueness in the field of engineering positions, Adams said, "Because I was always one of the first or one of the only, I learned to just own it and jump right in there."

In fact, Bradley told the girls in the audience, "Don't deny that there are cultural differences between you. Acknowledge it and celebrate and learn from it. You'll be better because of it.

All four successful women emphasized perseverance, encouraging the girls to keep going; never give up; try new things; accept challenges; ignore the naysayers.

Bartels, rising from her seat for emphasis, shared a story that took place in her early days as a nursing student. The petite president said an instructor made a discouraging remark about her stature, and to herself, Bartels said, "I'll show you. I'll have your job one day." And that she did. Years later, Bartels became the young lady's superior.

Adams said of those that speak negative, "Take it as a challenge. And go prove them wrong. Don't give up. Use it as fuel. Don't let the haters get in your head."

Moore added, "Turn ‘can't' into ‘Thank you very much; I'll take that challenge.' If you'll put that fuel in your tank, you'll drive farther than you ever dreamed possible."

Bradley encouraged the girls to follow their dreams, sharing that she decided in second grade that she wanted to be an author. Six years ago, she saw that dream come true and she's just published her second book. "You need to be who you are, not someone you're not. Don't be intimated. Don't be embarrassed. Be yourself."

Adams told the audience that it was OK to be a nerd, because, after all, "at the end of the day, most nerds run things."

Persevere - with kindness - was Moore's challenge. "You'll never ever regret being nice.

"Set the bar really high. Don't let somebody set the bar for you. And be the best ‘you' that you can be."

National volunteer for Kappa Kappa Gamma, Katie Kirkland of Seattle, Wash., said about the event, "The chapter women at GSU spent the past year raising the funds to host GIRLS Academy, and already have plans to cultivate an ongoing mentoring relationship with the middle school girls. I am so impressed with the level of generosity and dedication from the GSU Kappa chapter, the staff at William James Middle School, and the Statesboro community to make GIRLS Academy a huge success. Kappa Kappa Gamma takes pride in developing the leadership potential of others; my hope is that the girls of William James Middle School took away the skills and desire to become leaders that make a positive impacts in their community."