Zea Remo

Clay-Chalkville High School

Pinson, Alabama

Zea Remo, a senior at Clay-Chalkville High School, was born in the Philippines, where she spent her early years. Zea’s parents separated while the children were still young, leaving Zea’s mother sole provider for the family. When her mother received an opportunity to work in the United States, she made plans to bring Zea and her siblings with her. Before they could move, though, unforeseen financial setbacks caused a delay. While her mother worked abroad, Zea assumed responsibility for raising her younger siblings with the help of her grandmother.

Eventually, the whole family immigrated to the United States. Intelligent and mature beyond her years, Zea still faced many obstacles, including living in a new country, overcoming language barriers, and learning to thrive in an American high school. She succeeded in all of these goals.

In addition to being an excellent student with a 4.0 GPA, Zea is a gifted visual artist. Her many awards in the field include being the state winner of the 2018 and 2019 Youth Art Month Design Contest. She also won the 2020 Youth Art Month Design for the High School Division. She took 2nd place in the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services Art Competition in 2018. Zea was the 10th grade winner of the State Superintendent’s Visual Art Exhibit for Bicentennial Celebration in 2018, as well as “Best of Show” at the same competition in 2019. She also won 2nd place in the Congressional Art Competition for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District in 2019. In addition to these honors, Zea is a published artist, her work having appeared in the Spring 2020 Celebrating Art book edition.

At school, Zea served as secretary and later president of the National Art Honor Society. She is a member of Clay-Chalkville High School’s choir and the National Honor Society.

Zea is an unpaid volunteer with Andrea’s Outreach, a program founded by Mrs. Krystal Croom-Walls in honor of her mother, the late Andrea Latrice Croom, who lost her battle with sickle cell anemia in December of 1999. Andrea’s Outreach is committed to raising awareness of sickle cell anemia through community outreach. Zea has completed more than 75 hours of volunteer work for Andrea’s Outreach, including working on the organization’s Outreach Back to School Drive, the Central Alabama Chapter of the Sickle Cell Association of America Walk, and the Andrea’s Outreach Toy Drive. Zea’s duties included organizing volunteers to serve at the events and checking everybody in as #TEAM ANDREA in the Sickle Cell Walk.

A gifted artist, an excellent student, and a committed supporter of her school and community—for all these reasons and more, Zea is recognized by her school and our state as one of the five 2020 Young Heroes of Alabama.