Jesica Speed

Getting up to "speed" with Homecoming Queen and honors student Jes.

Questions

Favorite High School Memory: Any number of things that happened on our OSEP and C520 trips. I still laugh when I tell stories about different ridiculous adventures we wound up on in the woods.

Favorite High School Class: It's a toss-up between creative writing with Mr. Neal and AP Art History with Ms. Peters.

Favorite High School Activity: OSEP wins, hands down. The musicals were pretty great though, too.

In high school, I'd spend my weekends: Goofing off with friends in my parents' basement, occasionally taking dance classes, spending time with my family, and going on adventures with friends.

In 2010, I spend my weekends: (still) goofing off with friends, exploring outside at nearby parks/forests, taking a dance class, doing church things, reading/writing, and recuperating before the next busy week(s)!

Anything else to add about Lafayette or the Class of 2002?
I'm thankful that high school has been done and over for a while now, but I've grown more and more appreciative of the opportunities that we had at Lafayette over the years. I've spent a lot of time in a lot of different schools since leaving St. Louis, and it wasn't until I had some time and distance from high school that I really began to realize how blessed we were to have so many opportunities for learning and enrichment that were so readily accessible. We went to a great school with awesome teachers and administrators who (by in large, I feel) cared about us and our growth.

I laugh sometimes when I realize that there are a few things about me that have not changed much since high school. Case in point: still getting way too excited about themed dress-up days at work. :)

What She's Up to Now:
Jes is currently a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches undergraduate courses at UNC, and is doing her dissertation research on creativity/innovation, art, and teaching. Jes graduated from Butler University in 2005 and trekked down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to do her MA at Louisiana State University. In 2007, she finished up in Louisiana and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she's been teaching, plugging away at the PhD, and spending time working in education in nearby Durham.