COVER
RADIANT GLOW
KristAel vilus
The Illuminating Life of
BY: KELLY OTTE | PHOTOGRAPHY: KIRA DERRYBERRY
F
irst impressions of Kristel Avilus (pronounced Kris-tell) are universal. She has a kind face and a gentle voice. Her eyes are wonderfully expressive and warm. She smiles with her whole face. Her laugh lights up the room. People realize her genuine empathy creates an opportunity to show up as your authentic self. People feel compelled to lean into conversation with her. As you learn more about her, you will understand why she could do anything she sets her mind to and why she has chosen to become the Executive Director of Pace Center for Girls in Leon County. While others congratulate her for landing the position, I’m pulled toward congratulating them for hanging on to her. For those unfamiliar with Pace Center, it is a center that provides girls and young women with opportunities for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy. Pace’s team of counselors and educators provide free, year-round, middle and high school academic services, counseling, life-skills training, career preparation and more, developing individualized approaches based on each girl’s unique strengths, life experiences, and needs. In their Reach Program, therapists and counselors travel to girls to provide services in their home, school, or in the community to offers social, emotional, behavioral health, and support services for girls ages 11-17 and their families. The staff at Pace genuinely believe that all girls, regardless of their background, deserve opportunities to become strong, compassionate, and successful women. When properly supported, all girls have the power to achieve their vision of success, which leads to positive outcomes for themselves, their families, and the community. Kristel is a living, breathing example of Pace’s exceptional service, as she seized their opportunities to grow and blossomed into her wildest dreams. One of the most important things about Kristel is that what tallahassee woman | 24 | june • july 2023
