Honoring yesterday, inspiring tomorrow. in this issue: - Winchester ...

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WT ALUMNAE HONORED BY WOMEN
AND GIRLS FOUNDATION OF
SOUTHWESTERN PA
Sonya Narla ’07 and Leslie Bonci
’74 were honored by the Women and
Girls Foundation of Southwestern
Pennsylvania at an October 2007 event
titled “Women in Sports: Leveling the
Playing Field.” The event recognized
women and teenage girls who are making
an impact on athletics throughout
our region. Among the honorees were
coaches, athletes, sports agents, attorneys,
sports medicine practitioners, and
team owners who are working to “level
the playing field” for women every day.
Sonya Narla ’07 on the basketball court.
Mary Lou Retton, gymnast, Olympic gold
medalist, and “Fitness Ambassador,” was
the keynote speaker.
Narla was an athletics star at
Winchester who excelled both on and
off the field. She played basketball,
lacrosse, and soccer, was a 12-time
varsity letter winner, and
was captain of all three
sports. Her athletic talent
was recognized by the
Western Pennsylvania
Interscholastic Athletic
League (WPIAL); she
competed in All-WPIAL
lacrosse and soccer, and
was a WPIAL Scholar
Athlete Nominee. Narla Leslie Bonci ’74
also played with the all-
GPIBL (Greater Pittsburgh Independent
Basketball League) team.
In 2006, she participated in the
Student Athlete Leadership Academy
(SALA), a program endorsed by
WPIAL, the Pittsburgh Schools, and
the Pittsburgh Steelers and designed
to motivate participating students to
become strong leaders in sports and life.
Narla received the WT Female Athlete of
the Year Award, the Haley Surti Award,
and is a member of the Cum Laude
Society. She now attends Case Western
Reserve University.
Bonci is the director of sports
medicine nutrition for the Department
of Orthopedic Surgery and the Center
for Sports Medicine at the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
She is an adjunct assistant professor of
nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences and an adjunct assistant
instructor in pediatric dentistry at the
university’s School of Dental Medicine.
She also serves on the faculty of the
University of Pittsburgh’s sports medicine
fellowship training program.
Bonci holds a B.S. in biopsychology
from Vassar College and a Master’s
degree in public health from the
University of Pittsburgh. She serves
as a nutrition consultant for the
University of Pittsburgh’s Department
of Athletics, Pittsburgh Steelers,
Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates,
Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Cincinnati
Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and is the
company nutritionist
for the Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre, among others.
Bonci lectures regularly
at coaches’ clinics as
well as at national meetings
for the National Strength
Professionals Association;
National Strength and
Conditioning Association;
American Alliance for
Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance; and National
Association of Sports and Physical
Education. She is also a consultant to
the NCAA Division III programs and
nutrition expert for the NCAA Nutrition
and Performance Web site. A popular
former national media spokesperson
for the American Dietetic Association,
she has been a frequent guest on the
NBC-TV “Today” program. Her expertise
in the areas of sports nutrition, weight
management, eating disorders, and
digestive health resulted in two book
publications: Total Fitness for Women,
which she co-authored, and the
American Dietetic Association Guide to
Better Digestion, of which she was sole
author.
STUDENT ESSAY PUBLISHED
IN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL,
THE CONCORD REVIEW
As a junior, Michael D’Emilio ’07
authored an essay that has been published
in the Fall 2007 issue of The Concord
Review, a publication whose purpose is to
recognize and publish exemplary history
essays by high school students in the
English-speaking world.
According to Will Fitzhugh, founder
of The Concord Review, “Mr. D’Emilio’s
analysis of the failure of the Communist
campaign to organize blacks will be of
great interest to our readers in 42 states
24 Thistletalk Autumn 2007