Johnston County Early College Academy Senior Jara Ashley is Poised for Success

SMITHFIELD, NC – Johnston County Early College Academy (JCECA) senior Ashley Jara was chosen to take part in the North Carolina’s Governor’s Page Program. Jara and around 10 other high school students from around North Carolina earned the opportunity to engage in four days of hands-on participation in state government. 

Since she was young, Jara has always been fascinated with the government. She remembers seeing Hilary Clinton on television when she was growing up and that inspired her. “There's something about being that representation for people, and being that voice for people who can't always express it,” Jara said.

Founded in 1943, the Governor’s Page Program opens up the world of state government to the next generation of potential public servants. Over four days, they focused on four areas: history, civics, service, and professional development with various activities such as developing a policy proposal with policy officials from various state government departments, and planning an individual service project.

Having the ability to meet, network, and learn of internship opportunities was incredible, but Jara said being able to meet with Governor Roy Cooper for a short discussion was life-changing. Cooper studied to become a lawyer and he shared with Jara about that time in his life. The entire experience only increased her desire to work in government. “It really made me realize how much I want to be a state employee,” she said.

Jara has been focused and disciplined about how to reach her goals. She credits that discipline to her family. She is a native of Johnston County but Jara’s family are originally from Peru and taught her strong family values and morals. “I owe a lot to my family for that for the way I am today,” she said.

That discipline proved instrumental when she was accepted into JCPS Innovation Academy at South Campus (IASC). Students at IASC experience a small school environment with a unique schedule that focuses on meeting individual academic needs. Additionally, IASC focuses on providing enriching opportunities that build pioneers and future leaders in the district. Being in nontraditional school settings is where Jara feels she excels the most.  “I realized that having a lot of personalized learning, and working at my own pace has always pushed me to do better,” she said.

It only made sense for Jara to continue her educational journey in another JCPS Choice Program, Johnston County Early College Academy (JCECA). A partnership between Johnston County Public Schools and Johnston Community College, JCEA represents a unique combination of public school and community college collaboration. Set on the campus of Johnston Community College, students get the opportunity to experience a college environment. A five-year school, graduates receive a high school diploma and a two year associate degree from Johnston Community College.

For Robert Daniels, JCECA Principal, seeing a student like Jara come through his school and have such success is what it’s all about. Not only has he seen her grow as a student, but as a person. “One thing about her is she’s personal and she’s real,” Daniels said. “The person you see is the person that she is, caring and concerned about others.”

Jara is passionate about giving back to the community, so she decided to volunteer packing boxes of food at Clayton High School. She recruited her younger nephew in an effort to teach him the importance of community service. It was the first time for both of them, and Jara says it won’t be her last time. Not only did she enjoy spending time with her nephew, being with her peers made it even more fun.

In addition to her studies, Jara is the student leader for JCECA as part of JCPS Student Leader Cohort. Student leaders are seniors from different high schools that meet with Superintendent Dr. Eric Bracy twice during the school year to discuss a wide range of topics. When asked what it was like to have the ear of Dr. Bracy, Jara responded, “We had a lot of meaningful discussions about the topics such as the district’s mission statement and about college and career readiness.”

Collaborating with the other student leaders and learning about how they are making a difference in their school was impactful for Jara. She also enjoyed representing her school and the wonderful things happening that others may not have known about. 

Graduating in May, Jara says one of the biggest lessons she has learned through JCECA is self advocacy. Other important life skills she has learned are time management and prioritization. Those skills will continue to develop as embarks on her college career at her dream school, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). 

Her undergraduate degree will be in political science, and then she hopes to continue on to UNC Law School to potentially study real estate law.”I'm most excited about the specialized learning,” Jara said. “I finally get to sit down and focus on what I’m passionate about.”