Jakyla
To me, North Chicago is home for the past 13 years. It's where my family lives. It's where I went to school, and it's a good community. It's a good place for kids to grow up.
I graduated from North Chicago High School in 2021. I want to go to college— to be able to work with little kids in the hospitals. I’m looking at 12-month programs to become an LPN [Licensed Nurse Practitioner].
What’s the best advice you ever received?
My mom is always telling me, you know, no matter what's going on, anything can happen. Anything can happen, but that don't stop you from getting up and going to work every day. You will run into a lot of obstacles in your life. But they don't mean give up. Just keep going and keep pushing every day.
Your mom sounds like a great motivator. Would you say she’s your hero or would that be someone else?
My dad— because anytime I need help with anything, I can always call him. Whenever I need advice, I can call him. He always gives me good advice and he’s real helpful. He's somebody I can always talk to no matter what— so I feel like he’s my hero.
What three words would your dad use to describe you?
Funny, pretty, and uhm... I'm very outgoing.
I’d say I'm very fun. I just say stuff and everybody just be laughing. I can light up a room. I laugh every day.
That’s a good trait to have when things get tough.
There's been times where I didn't want to get up and go to work and my mom's like, “I don't like getting up going to work, but I still got stuff I got to take care of.”
I’ve got a daughter to take care of and I’ve got stuff that I want to do in my life and I want to move forward. I don't want to be stuck in the same place for the rest of my life.
If my mom can keep getting up and going to work and keep going— no matter how tired I am, I'm still gonna get up and I'm still gonna keep going, too.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.