Jade Jacotin - Wekiva High School

Jade is nothing else if not persistent. She has faced many difficult challenges in her lifetime and has chosen to respond in strength. She has courageously fought her way through illness and loss to rise above her situation, not with bitterness but instead to help others have the options to obtain the positive benefits our society has to offer.

She now lives to pay it forward. Her nonprofit initiative discreetly provides clothing to those in need. Her many leadership roles include Apopka Youth Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and athletic trainer. She is a member of Black Student Union at Valencia, where she is a dual enrollment student.

Her favorite King quote is “As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”

Future Goals: Jade wants to study medical social justice to improve access for all, regardless of color or economic status. She plans to attend Florida State University to become an OB/GYN physician.