Junior Ami Jacobo can be seen all around the school, spreading their positivity into every activity they participate in, and every piece of art they create. They are involved across the school, becoming a very well-known figure to students around. To the ordinary eye, they can seem like any ordinary student, but those who know them will note how unordinary and uplifting they are.

Jacobo is the class president of the class of 2024, and they also participate in Happiness Inc., theater, Mentors in Violence Prevention, speech and art classes.

“I’ve been busy, like every single day because I like to participate in extracurriculars. At this point I’m just used to always being busy,” Jacobo said.

Last year, Jacobo campaigned for class president for the class of 2024. Winning the class election meant that Jacobo would assist in making decisions for their class and helping to assist with fundraisers for their school year.

“We do fundraisers when we need to, with merchandise and we’ve worked with tropical smoothies for some deals. We just do fundraisers for when we need it,” Jacobo said.

With the job of class president, Jacobo also participates in a myriad of activities such as varsity show choir. Jacobo started their first year of Happiness Inc. this school year, participating in show choir since middle school. Jacobo enjoys singing, dancing and working alongside friends. 

“Show choir has all my friends there, so it’s a big social gathering. I really enjoy it. I enjoy the movement and exercise you get through the dance…” Jacobo said. “I like making people smile through performance. I think our show really did that this year, and I love performing with my friends. I like having a thing that I can say ‘Hey, I was a part of this and you can watch it.’”

Throughout every activity, Ami has a positive attitude toward everyone around them and showcases leadership skills throughout. Ami always leaves a positive impact on everyone around, helping whenever they can.

“Ami always seems to be a constant point of positivity. I’ve always noticed that they’re always smiling, always contributing positively and is one of those kids who always leads by doing,” show choir director Storm Ziegler said. “When you’re looking for an example of someone who knows what they’re doing or how to approach something, Ami is one of those people.”

Along with all of the extracurriculars, Ami also has pursuits for art and other creative endeavors. Ami won the “visual arts” award for the Excellence in the Arts student spotlight and was featured in the Newbo art showcase. 

Visual arts is not the only creative endeavor they have pursued. Jacobo joined speech and participated in the “short film” category with their short film titled “Is it Worth it.” The short film follows someone’s contemplation of the question: is anything worth it, coming to the conclusion of life always being worth it and that we all have things that we deem worthy? 

“It was based on personal experience, asking if it’s all worth it. Because I’m busy all the time, I ask myself ‘Is it all worth it? Being tired and doing all these random things,” Jacobo said. “Ultimately, I decided it is because I enjoy doing them. So then I made it a more open-ended question, asking if anything is worth it. I came to the conclusion it’s what you perceive to be worth it.”

With the help of speech and short film coach, Ashton Nanke, Ami was given the tools and sets necessary to create their video. Ami acted as the main director and wrote the script themselves. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of the short film the group created, and its biggest strength is easily the heartwarming and relatable story that Ami created. With a great visual style and stylistic editing choices, it’s a fun and easy watch,” speech’s short film coach Ashton Nanke says. “It was an amazing honor to see my group move on to All-State, and each and every one of them deserved it.”

Although signs may not show, there is still a multitude of challenges Jacobo has overcome a multitude of challenges. Participating in so much leaves little room for breaks, and motivation can fluctuate. Jacobo still finds joy in it.

“I have been diagnosed with clinical depression. It’s definitely really hard to stay motivated, especially for all the things I’m doing and getting all my work done,” Jacobo said. “It’s hard to stay motivated to stay so active. The upside of being involved in so many things is it keeps me from being alone with myself and being sad. When you move and socialize you get good endorphins, so I feel pretty good doing a lot of things.”

Self-care can be difficult while participating in many activities. Finding time for themselves can prove to be a challenge. Playing games, crocheting or being around friends helps when they want to unwind and relax.

“I take care of myself by talking to friends, hanging out with people. Going to therapy is a big one because sometimes you just can’t deal with it on your own which is okay. Trying to be aware of how I’m feeling so it doesn’t get too bad is really important,” Jacobo said.

Throughout all these activities and creative endeavors, Ami always manages to make people smile and leave an influence on people. From making a light-hearted joke to asking how someone’s day was, Ami shows their positive energy to everyone they meet. They always strive for one goal in life: living a happy life.

“I guess maybe it’s weird, but I just want to be happy and content with what I’m doing in life. Obviously, I can’t be super duper happy every single day because that’s just unrealistic. Finding little happiness in what I’m doing and making a job something that’s more fun. That’s my goal,” Jacobo said.