Sophomore Cassidy LeClair shines the light to her fellow Bearcats

It’s no surprise what her name means, if you know her. LeClair: from the noun “clair” meaning “bright”, “light”. Generally this is a nickname for a cheerful individual. Most of her friends will agree that this is a true definition of her.

Her smile lights up the room. Her kind words warm hearts of her friends and classmates. Her contagious laugh brings a smile to everyone’s faces. Her Instagram bio reads “If ya need a hug, let me know”. It is clear that sophomore Cassidy LeClair is a ray of light into fellow Bearcat’s lives.

Her abundant ray of light comes from her passion to make others happy.

“Whenever I get the opportunity, I just decided that it’s going to be a good day. When I see other people that I see sad I try to make them happy because making other people happy makes me happy,” she said.

Although LeClair is a light within herself, she found her light and her new found home away from home in room 505, with her drama family. Halfway through her freshman year, LeClair was cast as a “Teen Dancer” in Paso High Theatre Company’s production of “The Music Man”, and she was welcomed into the “Drama Family” with open arms where she has proven to be an evident light.

On May 10, 2015, after the closing performance of “The Music Man”, LeClair was awarded with the Gypsy Robe, an award voted on by the entire cast and crew of 60 people and given to the cast member who radiates the most positive energy, kindness, and happiness. LeClair claims that being awarded the Gypsy Robe was the best thing that has ever occurred in her life. Her face lit up and tears of happiness flowed abundantly from her warm brown eyes as the spotlight shone upon her. She froze and all she could think was ‘oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh’.

“I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so hard and everyone came up and hugged me and said they voted for me and it meant so much to me so when Ms. Goodnow said my name I just had a Cassidy Spasm Attack. I couldn’t even function, I didn’t know what to do,” LeClair said.

She was surrounded by the people she loved, and she was touched that she was able to impact them in such a positive way.

“Cassidy sees the good in everything and in everyone and she wants to take care of the environment, and wants to make sure everyone’s happy and feeling supported and knows that they’re cared for and that is really really special. She just wants to make sure everyone is loved,” said Drama teacher Marcy Goodnow.

“She always has this level of energy about her. It’s almost never a dull moment…she makes me happy because she is always smiling wherever she goes,” said Senior Jamison Murray, one of LeClair’s best friends and fellow Drama colleagues.

But it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. In the midst of middle school and becoming a teenager, LeClair battled through a tough time of teen angst and loneliness, she says.

“I would just get lonely and cry all the time and especially when I was alone I would just start sobbing, and I wouldn’t know why, and that was the hardest thing,” LeClair said. She claimed that she struggled with becoming a teenager and struggling to find herself.

LeClair claims that her saving grace was the ability to talk to others about what made her so upset and has in turn been able to reverse the roles and help others find the silver lining in their lives.

“It was sad to see myself moping around everywhere, so I just decided that I didn’t want to live life like that, so I started seeing the good in all of things, and whenever I see someone sad now, I ask them if they would like to talk about it… I just ask them if they need a hug or smile at them,” said LeClair, who has a passion for making others happy and making small gestures to brighten someone’s day.

After finding the light in her own darkness, she now offers a light to guide other out of the pitch black tunnel.

“I’ve been sad before, and it’s never fun being sad, so whenever I get the opportunity, I just decided that it’s going to be a good day. When I see other people that I see sad I try to make them happy because making other people happy makes me happy,” she said.

LeClair can often be found brightening others days by handing out homemade brownies or writing kind, encouraging letters to friends.

“That’s my job, that’s what I do, I love going around and making people happy,” LeClair said.

People often tell her to not worry about other people’s happiness, and to focus on making herself happy however, that just isn’t enough for her.

“To see that I make someone smile is the best thing in the world to me, and the way I get happy is by making other people happy,” LeClair said.
When strangers harshly remind her that she can’t make the whole world happy, she simply says, in her most upbeat, positively confident voice, “Well I can try, can’t I?”