| The award is designed to salute an outstanding South Florida student-athlete who exhibits valor and courage in the face of adversity, and consists of a $10,000 scholarship. |
| Miami Lakes, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – The Orange Bowl Committee announced that Ashley Moon, a student-athlete from Miami Springs Senior High School, is the fourth recipient of the Orange Bowl Beigel-Feis-Hixon Valor Award. Moon, who was nominated for the award by her high school tennis coach, overcame cyber and emotional bullying throughout high school and solidified Valedictorian status of her graduating class with a 5.14 GPA while competing in her school’s volleyball, swimming and tennis varsity sports. The annual Orange Bowl Beigel-Feis-Hixon Valor Award honors Marjory Stoneman Douglas coaches Scott Beigel (cross-country coach and geography teacher), Aaron Feis (assistant football coach and security guard) and Chris Hixon (wrestling coach and athletic director) who lost their lives protecting their colleagues and students in the senseless tragedy that occurred on Feb. 14, 2018 at the Parkland school. The award is designed to salute an outstanding South Florida student-athlete who exhibits valor and courage in the face of adversity, and consists of a $10,000 scholarship. “The Orange Bowl Committee is extremely proud to announce Ashley Moon as this year’s winner of the Orange Bowl Beigel-Feis-Hixon Valor Award,” said Orange Bowl Committee President & Chair Jack Seiler. “After finding the strength to overcome life-threatening cyberbullying, Ashley transferred her time, effort and passion into sports, school organized clubs and public service, in which she has received numerous awards and special recognitions. It is an honor to bestow this prestigious award upon such a well-deserving student-athlete.” During her sophomore year of high school, Moon struggled with depression and seclusion after becoming a victim of cyber and emotional bullying. She took to the popular saying “what does not kill you makes you stronger” and courageously persisted to escape one of the darkest times of her life. “I found support from places I never thought I could and used that to combat the feeling of hollowness until I began to feel whole again,” said Moon. “Prevailing through the situation, I am a new person… This event made me more resilient, allowed me to grow as a person and gave me a new view of what it was that I wanted to be. I am stronger. I understand that the opinions of others do not define me and that false words, no matter how cruel, will not kill me.” Moon is a standout student-athlete as the No. 1 seeded player on the high school tennis team and the team captain for the last three years, in addition to competing at a very high level in CrossFit. She is also a member of the school’s HOSA Club, Anchor Club, Holocaust Ambassador Program, National Science Honor Society and the Mock Trial Law Team, and even assisted in research during the COVID-19 pandemic for Miami-Dade County’s The New Normal guidebook, which provides protocols for safely reopening a wide variety of businesses. “It is rare to find a young person that can juggle so many activities, required and optional, as well as [Ashley] does. And successfully, I may add,” said Miami Springs Senior High School Tennis Coach Manuel Fabian. “She has been in her share of adverse moments and become better for it… participates in numerous other extra-curricular activities, while academically ranking at the top of her graduating class. I truly don’t know how she does it.” Moon will be enrolling in Florida State University this Fall and will be recognized during the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. About the Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is a 380-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. The Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2021. For more information on the 2021 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program presented by Panera Bread, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media. |
