Westville High School Junior and #1StudentNWI Jessica Griffin is a catalyst for community involvement in La Porte County.
Griffin is involved in Student Council Athletic Council, Poms (Westville High School's Cheerleading program), Science Olympiad, Leo Club, Quiz Bowl, she is the treasurer of Westville High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society, and she is the president of the junior class. Keeping a strong balance between her extra-curricular activities and her schooling may be difficult, but Griffin learned time management from the best: her mom.
“My mom works so hard for us. She does her job, and then she comes home to be with us. I really admire her balance between work and home life, and I want to follow her lead. Just to be that person would be really great,” Griffin said.
Her mother, Gidget Griffin, raised her and her two brothers, Nate, 30; and Jacob, 15. Family has always been a large part of Griffin’s life, as she spends her free-time with her family enjoying events throughout La Porte County.
Not only does Griffin enjoy La Porte County with her family, but she learns the ins-and-outs of her community through Leadership La Porte County, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting community leadership. She represents her fellow Blackhawks as Westville Highschool’s Student Leader for Leadership La Porte County. This program emphasizes the importance of community leadership through connecting student leaders with service opportunities. In fact, this is where Griffin learned about the #1StudentNWI program.
“Leadership La Porte County is great because we get to travel to different sites and speak with several leaders in the community. I really liked the panels; for example, we went to the Cummings Lodge and listened to a lot of different speakers about the community. We also went to the prison to speak with a panel. It just made me realize how prevalent our community is, and I even learned about #1StudentNWI through the program,” Griffin said.
After listening to Ideas in Motion Media CEO Chris Mahlmann speak about the program through Leadership La Porte County, Griffin knew she wanted to help cover positive news at her school. To her, positive news is the best way to connect her school and community.
“Negative news is really twisted to get people’s attention, while positive news is something that people actually want to read. It’s not twisted, and it’s about things that are actually happening. Positive news is a good way to lift people up. There is so much good stuff out there, and everybody needs happiness,” Griffin said.
Through positive news, Griffin hopes to lead her community to the great things happening at Westville High School. Griffin has always strongly believed that leadership is a key part of creating a positive atmosphere at her school because it is an excellent way to get people involved.
“Any leadership opportunity is a good way to help people in need. Not only that, but it sets an example for other students. Anybody can be a leader,” Griffin said.
Being a #1StudentNWI has greatly increased Griffin’s involvement at school, due to the fact that it allows her to experience events from clubs in which she would not typically participate.
“The #1StudentNWI program pushes me to get out there and get involved in my school and my community. I love getting to learn about new things and meet new people,” Griffin said.
Westville High School widely encourages student leadership, so students like Griffin are able to thrive. According to Griffin, her high school’s tight-knit community offers an abundance of leadership opportunities.
Through her many extracurricular activities and her fantastic work as a #1StudentNWI, Griffin constantly works to improve the lives of those in La Porte County.