What’s it like to be a leader at CJA?
Being a leader at CJA comes with a lot of responsibilities. You are being looked up to and watched by the younger students, by everyone, really, so you have to be doing the right thing. When you come to CJA, you need to understand that you are always a role model for those around you. We have to be the people that step up. You have to be the person that’s going to lead. If not you, who?
I feel like it’s been going pretty well. I’ve matured since last year, and I’m taking school even more seriously. This is my last year at CJA, and I want to go to the high school I want to go to. I’ve been trying my hardest. I want to do the best that I can personally do.
I came to CJA in fifth grade. Over time, I’ve grown not just academically but mentally. When I first came to CJA, I mostly hung out with people that were my age. As time went on, I became friends with guys in older grades, and that helped me mature more. It also helped me improve myself. In 6th grade, I really looked up to Isaiah, who was in 8th grade. I would notice that he would always be doing the right thing. He was always paying attention to the speaker, always focusing on whoever was talking, always doing the work. That really inspired me.
If we don’t try our hardest to focus and listen, we can’t get the work done. Coming into CJA, you have a lot of work to do. If you want to be able to graduate, and you want to be able to pursue the career that you want, you have to first be a leader. A leader knows that there’s a lot of work to do and you have to stay focused to get it done.
Being part of the CJA community is a really big blessing. There are not many lower and middle schools that provide the opportunities we have, like co-curriculars or field trips. We went to Loyola University last year. Not many students get to have that college experience. We have a College [and Career] Persistence Team – not many schools have the opportunity to have somebody to guide them through the entire process of applying for high schools. A lot of my other family members who are older had to do all that decision-making and applying by themselves. To have somebody to guide you, that’s a really big thing.
Don’t procrastinate, because that can hurt you. If you try to multitask, it doesn’t work. If you procrastinate, that work is not going away. You need to sit down and do the work. Reflect and think about what you are doing well and what you can improve on. Nobody’s perfect, so you have to know what your imperfections are and make them better.
My favorite grad-at-grad value is open to growth. Life is about trying new things, hoping to grow and seeing where it takes you.
I’m thankful I was able to get the opportunity to come to CJA. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to come to CJA. I didn’t think I wanted to. I am so glad I said yes because I never would have met all these wonderful people. CJA teaches you a lot of life lessons that most schools don’t teach you. We learn how to be a leader, how to solve a problem, how to be a bigger person and how to grow as a person.
