(Editorial Note: The Nashville PRIDE wishes to introduce our two interns from Maplewood High School, Jayla Roberts and Olivia Holt-Hall. They wrote their own introductory profiles written in the third person.)
Jayla Roberts, sophomore
Jayla Roberts is 16 years old, she was born on October 5, 1996, right here in Nashville where she still resides.
For starters, she loves meeting new people and helping others in any way she can. She is a friendly, outgoing, smart young lady who is responsible and mature. She is also a very open-minded person who loves to learn new things, while also laughing and maintaining a positive attitude.
Some of her hobbies are writing and singing.
“I further my love of writing by interning at The Nashville PRIDE and being a part of the journalism team at my school,” Roberts said.
At The Nashville PRIDE she is able to experience the production and deadlines associated with a newspaper staff, while also furthering her knowledge of writing, editing, and publishing. In journalism class, she is able to post objective and subjective news stories written from her personal perspective. On her journalism class website, ‘A Panthers Tale,’ there are various stories about her school and things that are happening in our society. When a story on that site is viewed numerous times, it is recognized by the National Editors’ Choice award. Jayla has received that recognition already this year!
This is Jayla’s first year attending Maplewood High School, where her three main focuses are GPA, EOC, and ACT.
“I am a sophomore, Class of 2015,” said Jayla. Before Maplewood she attended The Nashville Big Picture High School, a college prep school located in West Nashville.
During the summer of her freshmen year, she stayed on the campus of TSU, attending an academic camp called Upward Bound. Upward Bound is a program that helps students become academically ready for the upcoming school year. Help is also provided every Saturday for students who are struggling with their studies or that just need some extra help during the academic school year.
“Upward Bound offers a plethora of opportunities for the future of the students,” she said.
When Jayla graduates from high school she is interested in applying to a number of different colleges. She said her first choice is Howard University in Washington D.C.
“I want to attend Howard because of the great science program that they have,” said Jayla.
In college, she wants to study becoming a neo-natal nurse. A neo-natal nurse is a nurse that helps the premature and newly born infants live and maintain a healthy lifestyle after delivery and discharge from the hospital.
“I chose this field because I love children and I love helping people in any way,” said Jayla. “I want to pursue this field because it will allow me to help people while enjoying my career at the same time.”
Jayla says her mother has been the inspiration for all her dreams.
“She has been through so much and continues to push through life,” Jayla said. “She encourages me to always do my best in everything I do, and never quit.
“Her words of wisdom enlighten me, and I love talking to her and discussing the goals that I want to accomplish when I get older.”
Jayla says her Mother always helps her make hard decisions and gives her good advice.
“Her teachings of life have made me become the young women I am today,” Jayla said.
