Ashley Wright Paddock was a running star in high school.
She was on the All-State Cross Country team for four years, helped the team win a cross country team championship her senior year, was an All-State Track team member for four years, was apart of the 3200 state championship team in 1990 and 1991 and was a News-Gazette Honor Roll Athlete and Hamilton Award Senior.
Now she is using the lessons she learned as an athlete at St. Joseph-Ogden in her role As the Director of Selection for the Wilshire Financial Group.
“The lessons I took were many,” Paddock said. “Sports is a microcosm for life, and I took so many lessons
from cross country and track in high school. Hard work, being a part of a team, leadership lessons, and learning
from failure. In addition, working towards something, sacrifice, and paying a price to achieve a goal.”
Paddock has been the Director of Selection for more than three years and helps people learn more about a career
as a Northwestern Mutual Financial Representative. She focuses on growing their southeastern offices of the
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
Paddock will be inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame tonight.
“It was a great surprise to get the call,” she said. “I felt very honored and excited to be asked to be a part of such
an outstanding group.”
Paddock graduated from SJO in1991.
She said one of her favorite high school memories involved breakfast.
“One of my favorite memories from high school was going over to my teammate and good friend’s house,
Marla McKinney, for breakfast every Friday morning during cross-country and track season,” Paddock said.
Paddock said the had a tradition where Marla’s mother would make them cocoa wheats and they would sit at
their counter with Marla’s younger brothers, have breakfast and chat before school.
“I loved those Friday mornings,” Paddock said.
