On Aug. 13th, the Ashland County Women of Achievement hosted their annual induction ceremony. Two Young Women to Watch were honored, and received checks from both the Women of Achievement, as well as the Samaritan Hospital Foundation.
Eva Early is a rising senior at Ashland High School. Eva is a standout in academics and the arts, receiving accolades and awards for her contributions dancing in the company at Opus II Dance Studio, her soon-to-be four years dancing as a Sweetie, and as an accomplished singer and actor; she has been a member of numerous school choirs and has acted in the high school musicals, in increasingly larger roles, since the 8th grade. Â
Eva is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Arts Honor Society, and the National Thespian Honor Society. Eva has been elected Vice President of her class all four years in high school, and will be President of Student Council this year. In 2022, Eva was crowned Miss Ashland. Eva volunteers across Ashland and Richland counties, and was a member of the Ashland County Community Foundation IMPACT Youth Council.
Baylee Webster graduated from Hillsdale High School as a four-year academic letter recipient, and graduated with academic honors from both Hillsdale and the Ashland County West Holmes Career Center, where she won numerous academic awards at both schools.Â
Baylee’s athletic prowess is equal to her work in the classroom; she is a multi-sport varsity letter recipient, including in soccer, which she played first as a senior, and where she was also named team captain. Baylee has shown animals at locations from the Ashland County Fair to across the country, and was recognized as the 2022 Shropshire Princess. Baylee has held numerous leadership roles in 4-H, FFA, and for the Ashland County Junior Fair Board. She was in the Junior Fair Court in 2022, and was Ashland County Junior Fair Queen in 2023. Baylee’s volunteer work covers the needs of people from young children to seniors. Baylee is continuing her education at North Central State College.
Ashland County Women of Achievement was founded over 30 years ago by Kay Conrad, to recognize women who have reached beyond themselves to contribute substantially to the quality of life in Ashland County, Ohio. Â
In that time, over two hundred women in Ashland County have been recognized for their achievements in work, family, and volunteerism. In 2017, the Young Woman to Watch was first awarded, to celebrate the achievements made by Ashland County women under the age of 21. In 2021, an endowment was established at the Ashland County Community Foundation, with gifts from previous Women of Achievement winners, to allow the organization to continue to gift the young woman they recognize each year. Since 2023, the Samaritan Foundation has matched the gifts these young women are awarded.Â
Nominations for the 2026 class of Women of Achievement and Young Woman to Watch will be available in spring of 2026.