Senior Jena Corea gives back through leadership
Her favori
te color is a happy yellow. Not a regular yellow, but a happy yellow. Because she isn’t a regular Jena Corea, she’s a happy Jena. Her lucky number is three, and every Thursday she eats lunch with her aunt Annie. She is involved in everything from Crimson Crew to Every Fifteen M
inutes.
Corea was born in Fresno and moved to Paso Robles not long after that for her parents work. In her time at Paso, she has accomplished great things. She is the president of the Superintendent Advisory Board, vice president of the senior class and she is a three year leadership veteran. She shows pigs through Chaparral 4-H, is a Crimson Crew and Link Crew leader, and has above a 3.0 GPA to boot.
And then in the few seconds that she has free, she squeezes in time for leading activities like Every Fifteen Minutes, volunteering at Twin Cities Hospital, and rereading the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” for the seventh time.
As a part of leadership, she does everything from putting on events to helping others when it’s their time to lead. In the three years Corea has been in leadership, she has been involved in major school events, such as the Car Show BBQ, the homecoming assembly, and the senior citizen tea party.
Leadership and dance teacher Jennifer Bedrosian has gotten to know Corea very well in the three years she has been a part of her class.
“What’s so great about her is that she is absolutely self motivated,” Bedrosian said.
Bedrosian found Corea keeping busy even when there was nothing to do and knew that whenever she or anyone else needed anything, the class could rely on her. When Corea first joined, she found herself taking on too much and trying to live up to her sister Devin Corea’s high reputation, but when she figured out her place and stopped trying to be anyone other than herself, she was in her element, according to Bedrosian.
“She became Jena and that is the most beautiful person,” Bedrosian said. Corea has not always been so self-motivated though. Sophomore year she found herself struggling to find a purpose.
“I was just there. I was just existing,” Corea said. Towards the end of the year there was a very big downfall, according to Corea.
“One week I decided, I’m done with this; I can’t do this and (…) I’m better than this. I kinda just decided that wasn’t who I was and that wasn’t what I was going to do,” Corea said.
Lu
ckily, painting, music, books, and movies brought her back to reality. After watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Corea decided to read the book; it was her saving grace, and she said she felt a lot more at peace after she read it.
It was also at this time in her life that she found her calling.
“Doing things for other people is what brought me back up,” Corea said. One way she stays positive and involved, is through doing what she loves, helping others, and being president of the Superintendent Advisory Board. As the president, she helps fix everyday campus issues. One of the board’s biggest accomplishments is campaigning to get the installation of two new counselors this year.
“We meet and talk about problems that are on campus and then we talk about how to fix them,” said Corea, who gets to work directly with Superintendent Chris Williams in helping PRHS become a better place.
If being involved with just about everything on campus wasn’t enough, Corea is also a super kind and caring friend, according to senior Ty Jones.
“She’s always so happy, she wants to be around you or wants to be around people and she wants to make everyone happy,” Jones said.
She has been there for Jones in rough times and always knows how to cheer him up.
“After I got my concussion, as a junior, I had been not allowed to leave my house and she came to me and brought me some candy and some really cool Flash socks,” Jones said.
Through Corea’s many years at Paso High, she has grown into a driven, kind, compassionate, and giving person. Ten years from now, she sees herself doing what she knows best: helping others.
“I really want to help people and I think it would be really interesting and a good experience to be able to help people on a daily basis,” said Corea, adding, “I want to be involved with people.”
Though her time in high school is done, she will continue to follow her passion at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts with a major in sociology and eventually a career in occupational therapy or event planning.
