By Rachel Kelly Jasmine Lopez, Senior Gig Harbor High School
Jasmine Amelia Grace Lopez is a 17- year-old senior at Gig Harbor High School. It is close to the end of the year, but she’s not quite decided on where she’ll go to school after graduation. She has applied to many different universities, and because of her good grades she has been accepted to all of them. She’s stuck deciding between two schools: Linfield University and Whitworth University. They are both offering her equal amounts of financial aid, and she will be making her decision in the coming months based on whichever school is able to offer her the most opportunity.
She may not have quite decided on where she’ll go next, but Jasmine is absolutely sure what she’ll do next. She plans to go to school for nursing and be a traveling nurse starting right after graduation. She has been in and out of the hospital since childhood and has been directly impacted by her nurses. Jasmine wants to provide children with the same comfort that she was given.
Right now, though, she is very busy in school. Her English class offers college credit while she’s still on the high school campus, and she’s busy with her Passion Project. This is an active project in line with each student's passion that brings about real-world change. Jasmine's focus is on inspiring the elimination of racial discrimination. Her Passion Project is consistent with her actions throughout her high school career; she started the first Black Student Union in the Peninsula School District as a place of refuge for students of color experiencing racial slurs and hate speech and to allow these students a voice.
Jasmine is also the student board representative for Gig Harbor High School. She uses this position as an opportunity to advocate for her classmates; to make sure that her school environment is one that benefits everyone. “Before I start doing something at school, I ask myself, ‘How will this impact current and future students? Will this make a lasting impact on students’ lives?’”
When Jasmine isn’t advocating or shooting for the stars, she’s expressing her emotion through art. She especially loves doing portraits of her favorite musicians or creating pieces for others. Art for her is an act of love. Going forward, she will carry this love with her.
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