Former PA State Trooper and Milton Hershey Student Speaks at Chapel

Brenda Armstrong (pictured right) recalled how happy she and her siblings youth was growing up in the Mt. Airy and Germantown sections of Philadelphia, splitting time between her mother and father's homes. When she was 10, however, all of that changed. Her mother decided to enroll her as a student at Milton Hershey School. Armstrong says her first year, she was a rebellious 4th grader who didn't want to embrace the opportunity which life had presented her. It took a while for her to even understand that it in fact was an opportunity, and not a punishment. Once she let go of her fear and anger about her new situation, however, Armstrong excelled. She began to realize that life is about being part of a team, and committed to service above self.

She became an excellent student and an incredible athlete. She was a leader and a mentor to her peers. Her academic and athletic successes led her to Temple University, followed by St. Joseph's University for her master's degree. Armstrong recently retired from the Pennsylvania State Police after 25 years, and is committed to spending her retirement helping individuals and organizations optimize their performance.

A former colleague of Trooper Waleska Gonzalez, a community service officer with the Pennsylvania State Police who visited Church Farm School in September, Armstrong told her story in the school's Chapel of Atonement on Wednesday, January 27 to a rapt audience. You can watch her full address on our YouTube channel!