Teens
2021
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his year’s Amazing Teens have all accomplished something that not many can claim: They completed the entirety of the last school year in the midst of a pandemic. For their perseverance, the Jackson Free Press recognizes these students from the Jackson metro who embody excellence in all that they do, and we believe that their dedication in the face of hardship will propel them even further as they ponder the next stages of their lives.
Mauricsa Woods, who has operated Tootie’s Trendy Treats since she was 13, takes every lesson from her microeconomics and business-management classes to heart. “(Those classes) have been quite helpful with what I should expect when I open my storefront,” Woods says. The Tougaloo Early College High School rising senior presently runs the confectionery out of her kitchen but hopes to establish a physical location for Tootie’s in the immediate future. Juggling a homespun business with her other responsibilities, though, has taught Woods important lessons. “I have really good time-management skills,” she says. “I have to put aside time for each different thing that I do.” One such time commitment includes her membership in the Disney Dreamer program, which Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine sponsor. Although Keila Adams Photography
Amazing
Mauricsa Woods
Samuel Wheat
May 5 - June 1, 2021 • jfp.ms
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tors for inspiring him to finish out the program. “I’ve always felt comfortable with them,” he says. “It’s a loving community of people there, and there’s a lot to learn.” His teachers also reminded him that he had many opportunities to learn outside of the studio, too, encouraging him to enroll in AP classes. “Being in APAC, I felt like going to AP was the next step,” Wheat says of his choice to take on more challenging coursework. “I wanted to work for a college credit and strive toward higher learning.” Wheat hopes to use these college credits towards a degree in dance. He admits that he isn’t sure which college he is planning to attend, though USM, Belhaven and Hinds Community College are all in the running. “They’ve just got to give me a little more scholarship money,” he quips. —Taylor McKay Hathorn
Mehm Ha Mehm Ha’s freshman year at Cal- here, I didn’t know anybody, and I was in laway High School was his first year at a coach’s world geography class. He asked an American high school, as he and his me if I wanted to join the team, so I tried family had emigrated from Malaysia ear- out,” Ha says of his early involvement lier that same year. “It wasn’t easy. It was with the team. actually terrifying,” Ha says of the experi- Athletics opened the door for further ence. “But I had a lot opportunities at the of great teachers, and I Jackson high school, get a lot of help at my and he now serves as a peer tutor. “I do a lot house. I also do a lot of of subjects,” Ha states. self-study.” “I’m good at science His commitment and math, and I’ve to his schoolwork has improved in English. helped Ha broaden I tell (my classmates) his English vocabulary, that you’ve got to read with the high-school about what you like, so senior citing reading that helps them build books and listening to their vocabulary.” music as his favorite Ha did bring parts ways to learn his new of his old culture with country’s language. Submitted by Ha in lieu of photo. “Westlife is my favorite him, though, saying band,” Ha reflects. “But I’ll listen to any that he “learned a lot about computers” while living in Malaysia and plans to parmusic—it doesn’t matter.” Music keeps him energized as he lay that knowledge into a career as a comscores goals on CHS’s varsity soccer team, puter data scientist. “I hope to work for where he’s been a member of the left-wing NASA someday,” Ha concludes. —Taylor McKay Hathorn offense for four years. “When I first got courtesy Mehm Ha
TeMaK Photo
When Samuel Wheat crosses the stage to receive his high-school diploma from Murrah High School this May, he’ll mark the end of his time in the Jackson Public School District, where he has attended since kindergarten. JPS, however, will have given Wheat a parting gift in addition to his diploma: a love for dance. “Back in fourth grade, I got into the Power APAC dance program,” Wheat recalls. “So (my senior year) marks the eighth year I’ve been in the program.” During his eight-year tenure in the program that teaches ballet, jazz and modern dance techniques to area students, Wheat has gotten to see more of the country, travelling to Birmingham, Ala., to perform in the Alabama Dance Festival and visiting Cincinnati, Ohio, as part of a scholarship he earned through Power APAC. Ultimately, Wheat credits his instruc-
the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 program short, Disney transitioned its Dreamers to a four-month online mentorship program, allowing them to form relationships with experts in the students’ fields of interest. The program paired Woods with Chef Carla Hall, which she says was “definitely the highlight of the program.” Hall has helped Woods keep a pulse on the nation’s baking and pastry scene, as she’s presently interested in attending classes offered by the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and NOCHI in New Orleans, La. College remains high on her priority list, though, evidenced by her recent application to the Mississippi University for Women, where she hopes to study at the Culinary Arts Institute and foster her love for writing and photography. —Taylor McKay Hathorn
