Suburban Life - Central Bucks/Montgomery - Issue #9 (September 2022)

zoom_in

922 Super Women - v2 - FINAL_SL Feature 10 / 5 / 22 2 : 07 PM Page 4 ride together . ” but I didn’t make any finals . Then COVID Father and daughter even hit , which was the best thing that could built a small track — roughly havehappened for me in terms of mak - 700 feet — on their two - acre ing the Olympic team , because it gave property in Pottstown . They memore time to prepare . I had a lot of refined the track over the downtime , so I did so much training . ” course of decade , some - WhenBMX events resumed after the times spending five or six pandemic pause , Ridenour ascended the hours a day shaping it , mak - ranks , though the window of opportunity ing it better . to earn a spot on Team USA was closing “ With winters in Pennsyl - rapidly . She earned her spot in May 2021 vania the way they are , at an event in Bogota , Colombia . everything closes down , so “ After I qualified , I only had two having the track in my back - months until I had to leave for Tokyo , yard allowed me to ride way and I trained with my coach up until then longer , ” Ridenour says . “ Not to prepare for the Games , ” she says . “ It a lot of people have a track was a really cool experience . My favorite in their backyard . It helped part was seeing the Olympic Village and me be a better rider and just being able to say you were in the work harder . ” Olympics . I hope to go back in 2024 . Ridenour and her bike — That’s my next big goal . ” she rides for Mongoose — It also explains her current residence . have traveled far and wide in Pottstown will always be Ridenour’s pursuit of her passion . Her hometown , but she and her family re - trophy case abounds with cently relocated to Tulsa , Oklahoma , awards from her junior and home of the USA BMX complex , which professional careers , and she includes Hardesty National BMX Sta - has visited more countries in her 20 dium . “ Everything I need is here , ” she PAYTON WITH HER PARENTS BEFORE LEAVING FOR THE OLYMPICS IN JAPAN years than most will see in a lifetime : says . “ I’m going to make the most of it Australia , Belgium , Colombia , Japan , the and use this opportunity to take it as far Netherlands , Portugal , and Switzerland , as I can . ” among others . She spends hours each day in train - ing , both on and off the track . Just about AT THE WORLD the only time she spends away from her CUP IN bike is when she’s sleeping . COLOMBIA “ Everything I do revolves around my Payton Ridenour grew up with bike , ” she adds . “ Even when I’m not the same dream most people training , I’m usually on my bike , just rid - have — “ to be the best I can be ” at ing . I’m attached to my bike . ” something . Ridenour’s something is Ridenour is grateful for her parents — BMX ( bicycle motocross ) , a punishing Karenand Keith Ridenour — and the sac - sport that requires of its participants a rifices they have made to help her chase balance of skill , strength , and focus , as herdream . During a recent phone inter - well as ample stores of nerve and tough - view , she also cited several others who lerté ness . Her career as a professional rider haveshown her so much love and sup - C ael has taken her across the country and port : Arielle Martin - Verhaaren , her coach ; Mick around the world , including a 2021 trip to her “ crew from PA , ” Scott Mechler , Jay and Tokyo for the Olympic Games . Bertles , and Evan Eisenhard ; and phy , Rocket , Already in an elite class of athletes , her dog , an illustrated version of tograwhom she believes her best is her to come . Shewas six years old when BMX be - stars on each page of the children’s Phobook X Ridenour has devoted her young life came an Olympic sport . The hazy dream Ridenour wrote , A to Z : BMX Style . BM to BMX . She started riding at an early age , of one day becoming an Olympian be - “ I really just want to be avadasomeone havingbeen introduced to the sport by gan to clarify in 2012 while watching the peoplecan look up to and be a good role N X , her father . U.S . Olympic Trials . She then focused on model for other people , ” she says . “ I BM n “ Mydadused to race when he was making the Olympic team in 2020 , which want to get results , and I also want to be Fiftee younger , on an amateur level , ” says Ride - sheadmits was “ a little far - fetched ” con - a pro that’s approachable if anyone asks MX , nour , a 2020 graduate of Owen J . Roberts sidering her age . a question or wants an autograph . Out - B SA High School . “ He took me to the BMX “ You’re not allowed to turn pro in the side of racing , I try to be a charismatic U of track when I was five ; it was always U.S . until you’re 19 , so I still had to race personand like to help people out at rtesythe somethingmy dad and I did together . We amateur here , ” she says . “ I went to do track . I just want to be a good person , coua s connect a lot [ through BMX ] , and we still two different world cups in 2019 - 2020 , nice person . ” Photo SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 | 55

view text

zoom_in

922 Super Women - v2 - FINAL_SL Feature 10 / 5 / 22 2 : 07 PM Page 5 S U P E R W O M E N 2 0 2 2 Felicia L . Ganther , J.D . , Ph.D . Stephanie L . Kosta ‘ We have a lot of students to serve . ’ ‘ To whom much is given , much is expected . ’ Dr . Felicia L . Ganther has accomplished amazing Aproud product of Delaware County , Stephanie L . things since taking the helm as president of Bucks County Community Col - Kostaapproaches every day with a smile on her face , a fire in her belly , and a lege ( BCCC ) in July of last year . singular goal in mind : to do the most good . “ The culmination of 25 years in higher education has prepared me for this “ All my life , I was taught that to whom much is given , much is ex - job , ” Dr . Ganther says . “ I am not only well - versed in student affairs , but I’ve pected , ” says Kosta , who was born and raised in the Delco borough of Mor - taught at community college , undergraduate , university , graduate , law school , ton . “ I was born with great parents , had a great family , and got a great edu - so I’ve had faculty experience as well . ” cation . I am supposed to give back . ” Dr . Ganther comes to BCCC from Maricopa Community Colleges , where she She has the opportunity to do so on a daily basis , as the vice president of served roughly 250,000 students annually in the metro Phoenix area as associ - governmentand regulatory affairs and community impact for Comcast’s ate vice chancellor for student affairs / chief student affairs officer . In that role , Freedom Region , which includes the Philadelphia area , New Jersey , and she not only helped students from 10 colleges with everything from admission parts of Delaware . She finds the job incredibly rewarding , with most of her to registering for classes and financial aid to academic advising and student daysinformed by her previous work as an attorney . Prior to joining Comcast , support , but also worked within the community to form the kind of meaningful shewas a partner at Duane Morris LLP , where her responsibilities included partnerships she is now forging at BCCC . providing counsel and government - relations assistance to Fortune 500 firms “ What excites me about Bucks is andgovernment entities . that I’m very familiar with the territory , ” “ There’s a winner and a loser in law , ” she says . “ With what I’m doing she says . “ When I was in Illinois , I now , it’s more about how the community can win and have Comcast support worked for the community college that it . We don’t want any losers ever ; it’s about working toward a common was a suburb of the city of Chicago , and goal . ” there are blessings and curses in that . Forexample , Kosta negotiated Comcast’s role in PHL Connected , a part - You’re in the suburbs , and oftentimes nershipbetween the City of Philadelphia , the School District of Philadelphia , people think that there’s a high level of and business and civic leaders that sprouted in the wake of COVID - 19 . The affluency so folks don’t need help . partnership’s goal : to connect thousands of public school students ( kinder - “ The other downside , ” she contin - gartenthrough grade 12 ) with no - cost internet . She describes her work on ues , “ is that oftentimes people look to PHLConnected as “ one of the greatest accomplishments of my life ” because the city and focus their energy and ef - of how positively it affected so many households . She also cites the impact of forts on what’s happening in the city , Comcast RISE ( Representation , Investment , Strength , Empowerment ) , an ini - and are not particularly paying atten - tiative to provide grants , technology services , and other resources with mi - tion to the students that are in need or in crisis or need help in the bordering nority - and women - owned businesses . communities , so I’m familiar with that . I saw that there is great potential here . “ I do have challenging days , but I We have a lot of students to serve . ” don’thave bad days , ” she says . “ I get Serve the students , she has . Within her first year , Dr . Ganther led BCCC to do good every day . ” through reaccreditation , secured the highest amount of donations received by In addition to her work with Com - the College Foundation in the history of the college , and instituted a DEI Advi - cast , Kosta volunteers with local chari - sory Board to improve relations with communities of color . ties and sits on the boards of several “ I believe that if you raise the water for all boats , everybody’s going to nonprofits , including the African float , ” she says . “ We know that our African - American and our Latino popula - AmericanMuseum of Philadelphia , the ast tions in Bucks County are not doing well . Our South Asian populations are not Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania , omc doingwell in this district . You can look at the state of Pennsylvania , K through and Philadelphia Works . She previ - C of 12 , they’re not going to college as their white counterparts are . Oftentimes they ously served on the Delaware County rtesy mightbe experiencing some type of financial or socioeconomic strife , so it’s im - tourism board , which she loved be - cou portant for us to make sure that we look at how we develop our programs to cause it helped shine a spotlight on hoto ensurethat there are equitable outcomes for all . That means we have to create the part of the world that raised her . p sta asense of belonging first . ” “ I love Delco , ” she says . “ It has a hometown feel , and its people have the Ko e Inaddition to focusing on building community and equity , Dr . Ganther i belief in their blue - collar roots and always striving for the next step . They han closedthe $ 7.5 million budget deficit that greeted her at the start of her time at valuehard work , and they also like to play . ” Step BCCC . “ We closed that without laying off any individuals , ” she notes . “ I’m very Above all , Kosta values spending time with her family , including her two lege . proud of that . ” kids , ages 13 and 16 , which she describes as “ my life , what I do all of this Col Comingout of the pandemic , she sees an opportunity for community col - for . ” She also enjoys hiking , finding “ hidden gems ” of historical significance unity legessuch as hers — to reinvent themselves , and to determine how they can re - in Delco and surrounding areas , and pursuing two other long - held passions : omm mainrelevant in the crowded higher - education landscape . singing and tennis . C ty “ Howdo we help folks understand that there are opportunities through the “ I believe you have to take big bites out of life , ” she says . “ I’m going to Coun communitycollege to help them to find the living wage and the American say yes and do the next thing . That’s the way [ to guarantee ] that life is fun cks Dreamthat they’re searching for ? ” she asks . “ That means we as community col - and exciting . ” — Bill Donahue Bu of legeshaveto really focus in on asking , ‘ Are our certificates , our degrees , going to tesy helppeople get jobs ? And are we working with those employers to make sure cour thatwe are aptly preparing those students to be ready to be interviewed and to oto beselected for those positions ? ’ I think that is the opportunity , and that is the ph er opportunityfor Bucks . We have an opportunity to be very relevant in this area , anth and I look forward to helping us move in that direction . ” — Leigh Stuart G Dr . SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1 56 |

view text

input

view_module

keyboard_arrow_left

keyboard_arrow_right