Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Take a glance at Joshiekka Outlaw's resum and you might not realize right away that she is only a senior at Warsaw Community High School.
She's a member of the National Honor Society, Business Professionals of America, DECA, Future Business Leaders of America and was a member of the student council and Students Against Drunk Driving.
She's won competitions at the district, state and national levels and is the Indiana state president of BPA and chapter president of DECA.
Meanwhile, she is seventh in her class of 422 students while taking honors courses. She participated in the Kosciusko Teen Court and is on the board of directors of the Kosciusko County Youth Leadership Academy. And for the past 1-1/2 years she has worked as an administrative assistant for UNICCO Service Co.
"Most of the time I have to stay up really late to get everything accomplished," Outlaw said. "As a person of color, you come across people who have different stereotypes of you."
Her motivation for working so hard, she said, is to show that those stereotypes are wrong. Her activities also make her feel good about herself.
Of KYLA, she said, "It's a really good program because I got to meet a lot of different community leaders and hear them speak about different issues."
And she enjoyed the Teen Court Program, too. Outlaw served as a teen court attorney and was on the advisory board and newspaper staff in the program.
Her parents don't push her, she said, but they do encourage her. "Then there's my grandma. She passed away two years ago, but her words and beliefs inspire me today," she said.
Her awards are not limited to just the business organizations she belongs to at school. She took first place in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. academic excellence award, receiving a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship. She received awards from the Optimist Club, Indianapolis Children's Museum and the Northern Indiana Center for History Excellence, among many others.
"I think (the awards) keep encouraging me," she said. "They keep me motivated and focused." She said they help show her that she can make a difference and they are a kind of pay back for all of her hard work.
"I think it's up to anybody to achieve what they want. I think I'm a prime example of this. Despite any circumstances, you can accomplish what you want ... regardless of what factors may affect you.
"It's up to you. No one is required to hold your hand. By the same token, it's up to everyone to ensure that there's equality for all so that opportunities are given equally to all."
Outlaw will attend Notre Dame University, majoring in business management.
"I hope to go to law school and become a corporate lawyer," she said.
Outlaw is an only child and moved to Warsaw from Evansville in 1996.
She said, being an only child, "I did have a lot of attention. I was always the baby of the total family."
