Who are you?

I’m Jaelynn Wright, a senior at Stanfield Secondary School.

Did you grow up here?

I did. I’ve been here my entire life. I started kindergarten at Stanfield Elementary and just kind of went all the way through.

What are a few of your hobbies?

I’m a competitive dancer and competitive dance coach. So I spend most of my time at the studio, Dance Unlimited, in Hermiston. From around 4 to 9 p.m. each night, I’m there either coaching or practicing myself.

How would you describe yourself?

I’m very dedicated. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be one of the top students in my class and to be a top dance coach. There are a lot of different titles that come along with all of that, but it’s been very rewarding. So I tried to be as kind as possible. I’ve gotten to work with a lot of young kids. And so getting to let them teach me how to be a good human being has been probably one of the best things I’ve gotten to experience.

What is something you’re passionate about?

Mental health. I am planning on going into the psychology field after I graduate. Along with being a dance coach, I’ve gotten to witness a lot of kids struggle in that realm with their body images and just their mental health in general, and I’ve struggled a lot myself. And so I think it’s a way for me to give back and everything I’ve learned. So helping people just realize that mental health is health and that we need to take it seriously.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

I would say winning a couple of the local scholarships is something I’ve been really proud of, just knowing I’m competing with not only my class, but also the other students in the area has been a great experience. And I like to write. When I applied to college, my essay got chosen to go to a scholarship competition, which is pretty exciting. In dancing, I have a lot of proud accomplishments, we’ve won a couple of big competitions, which has been pretty exciting.

What do you appreciate the most about Stanfield?

The community. It’s a small school; everybody knows everybody. I know most of the sixth graders and up, so I’ve gotten to talk to them very often. When they see me in the hall, they’ll say hi. And just knowing that when bad things happen or tragedy strikes we have a community we can rely on and people who support us no matter what.

What are your future plans?

I’m going to the University of Oregon in the fall to study psychology with hopes of getting either a master’s or Ph.D. degree in psychology and then going on with a specialty in adolescent mental health.