Teen named ambassador

Amanda Kronhaus has a resume that could put people twice her age to shame.

Community theater performances, pageant titles, dance team membership, academic honors, work with the American Heart Association — it goes on and on. Then you get down to the bottom of the page and realize she hasn't even graduated middle school yet.

The 13-year-old from Longwood, who most recently added Girl Power! Ambassador to her long list of accomplishments, knows how important it is to take advantage of every second of life she has.

Dubbed a "miracle child" by her family, Amanda has made it her mission in life to inspire other people to live their lives to the fullest.

"It's a miracle I'm alive," she said. "I almost died as a child, so being on this Earth is just a big blessing for me. I feel like there was a reason I was put on this Earth…I feel that I need to do something in my life, and that's just my main goal in my life is just to inspire people."

As the Girl Power! Ambassador she is getting to do just that. The second annual Girl Power! conference, set for Saturday, Aug. 28, is a branch off of WMFE and Orlando Health's annual Oh, Woman event. The conference gives girls, ages 8 through 13, an opportunity to bond with their caregivers through a day of learning, laughing and listening.

"Sometimes girls tend to get lost in the shuffle, especially at that age, and we wanted to make sure they had a time just for them," said Catherine McManus, senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer of WMFE.

Poised with a grace far beyond her years, Amanda, a student at Lake Highland Preparatory School, hopes to use her life experiences as a "real girl" to inspire girls her age to be comfortable with who they are.

"Some girls just need a friend. This is an awkward stage in life and I'm not going to judge someone because they're different. I'm different. I'm very different," she said with a giggle.

She will speak with those who attend the conference about how to live a happy, healthy life void of peer pressure. She will present alongside keynote speakers such as nurse, advice columnist and educator Suzette Boyette.

"I want to show girls that being a different kind of person in middle school in the long run, really won't matter … It's just being yourself and being true to who you are and working to the main goal you want to reach in your life that's just more important," she said. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. That's what I want to inspire people to do."

Amanda's mother, Julie Kronhaus, lives in awe of all her daughter has been able to accomplish despite the odds that were stacked against her as a young child.

"I just remember when I brought her home from the hospital when they gave me the breathing machine for sleep apnea to put on her with the monitors to make sure if she stopped breathing in the night, I just remember thinking, how am I even ever going to get her to kindergarten? Let alone this." her mother said, her face gleaming with pride.

Thirteen years later and their mother-daughter bond is what fuels Amanda's need to inspire others and her desire to be a part of the Girl Power! event.

"There's really nothing I don't tell her because I can trust her a lot," she said. "I want girls to have that kind of relationship with their moms. I know if I didn't have that with my mom I'd be missing a lot in my life."

Her mom agreed. "I like that she really can ask me anything, even if I don't want to answer it."

When she's not busy inspiring girls to follow her dreams, she's out pursuing her own on stage.

"I love theater, so that is a main part of my life. I would love to be able to do that professionally if that's possible … I can't even picture my favorite performance, but just getting the opportunity to get out there is my favorite thing in the world," Amanda said.

At 13, she may have done more than the average teen, but she still insists she's just your normal, everyday girl at heart, who loves getting manicures and pedicures with her mom, hanging with friends and "gleeking" out over "Glee".

Meeting her idol "Glee" star Kristin Chenoweth, also from the Broadway production of "Wicked", came close to being the best moment in her life thus far, but after a thoughtful pause Amanda decides she's got way too much life ahead of her to pick that one.

"I think I am blessed with such an amazing life that I don't really have a favorite moment," she said. "Just my life is my favorite moment, if that makes any sense at all."

Power event

WMFE and Orlando Health will host the second annual Girl Power! A Healthy Woman Event from 1-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 at the Orange County Convention Center. Connect with your daughter through fun interactive exhibits with breakout sessions featuring safety, nutrition, self-esteem and communication. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.wmfe.org/girlpower