DWSA entrepreneur uses skills to maintain high grades and community engagement during senior year

Jhaelyn Jacobs is a senior at Denzel Washington School of the Arts who shows amazing character and dedication to her academics and school community every day. During her time at DWSA, she has chartered two clubs, earned outstanding grades, and runs a business selling crocheted items.

Jhaelyn has devoted herself to acing her classes and sustaining a spot on the high honor roll and principal’s honor roll list throughout high school. Her cumulative grade point average is a 4.0, achieved by countless hours of studying, learning and applying herself to be the best student she can be. 

At DWSA, Jhaelyn has taken seven rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Currently, Jhaelyn takes AP Literature, AP Government and AP Calculus. 

Her favorite subject is English because she loves to express herself creatively through writing. Jhaelyn strongly believes that creativity is a vital part of humanity and encourages everyone to think creatively. 

“I think everyone should have an expression of themselves,” said Jhaelyn. “I am a very creative person. I like to do different types of crafts, and English is one of those subjects where I can express myself on a piece of paper rather than arts and crafts.”

Jhaelyn is not only committed to her academics but also serves her school community. She is the current vice president of the DWSA student council. Through this position, Jhaelyn advocates for her classmates and effectively demonstrates everything that she can accomplish.

This past year, she helped start the Community Service Club alongside her friend Celine Buchanan, offering DWSA students a way to serve the local community. As members of the club, students can donate food and goods to local pantries and food banks.  

Jhaelyn is the current president of the Textile Club, where she teaches students how to crochet, knit, and quilt. Students in this club have a space to speak about their projects, learn more about textiles, and create different projects together. Jhaelyn was taught how to crochet by her aunt and now enjoys giving that gift to her friends and students in her school. 

Jhaelyn is a young entrepreneur who runs a small business called “Buyfromjhae.” Crocheted items such as handmade hats, tote bags, and headbands can be purchased through her Instagram account. 

“It's been two years since I started the club,” said Jhaelyn. “I started my business when I was 12 and started actively selling to people. People asked me how I made that or how I do this, so I created the club to show them how. It’s very nice.” 

Jhaelyn highlights DWSA as a place where students can express themselves creatively, academically and socially. In the 10th grade, she organized a peaceful protest alongside a friend to raise awareness for sexual assault.
 
Jhaelyn has applied and been accepted into the University at Buffalo with a scholarship of $6,000, Temple University, Pennsylvania University, and Regent University. She has also applied to Emory University, the University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern University, and Hofstra University. 

Jhaelyn is a strong advocate for mental health and providing support to those struggling with mental illnesses or trauma. In college, she wants to pursue a major in neurosciences or psychology to learn more about how the brain works in hopes of becoming a mental health counselor. 

After dealing with the loss of her brother at a young age, Jhaelyn continues to become a support for those around her, sparking this interest in mental health advocacy. 

“As a kid, I didn’t see many places where mental illness was a safe place to talk about,” said Jhaelyn.  “It was never the subject of conversation or something that could be debated or actively pursued. Not having that as a child and wanting to be a part of the fix is what made me want to pursue mental health counseling.”