Jesenia Wright is a homegrown Utican through and through. Today, she serves as the Director of School-Based Mental Health at ICAN, a role that feels like a full-circle moment. She didn’t get to where she is, professionally or personally, by accident. She’ll tell you firsthand: it's taken grit.
«តាំងពីកើត និងធំធាត់នៅ Utica ក្លាយជាសិស្ស ហើយឥឡូវនេះកំពុងចូលទៅក្នុង Utica សាលារៀន និងការជួបជាមួយនាយកសាលា នាយករងសាលា និងជួនកាលអ្នកសង្គមកិច្ច ឬអ្នកប្រឹក្សាណែនាំ វាគ្រាន់តែជារឿងចម្លែកប៉ុណ្ណោះ។ វាក៏គួរឱ្យភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលផងដែរដែលបានឃើញថាតើខ្ញុំបានមកដល់ចំណុចណា” Wright និយាយ។
ប្រាជ្ញាដែលនាងទទួលបានតាមរយៈបទពិសោធន៍រស់នៅរបស់នាង គឺជាអ្វីមួយដែលយើងទាំងអស់គ្នាអាចរៀនពីវាបាន។
Today, Wright resides in South Utica with her husband and three children. She grew up in East Utica and now works about halfway between the two, in a one-of-a-kind building: the new Utica Children’s Museum. Behind the museum’s doors is the Family Resource Center, which houses several ICAN-centered programs in a first-of-its-kind model in the country.
“I realized I really wanted to be at an organization where they value their employees, and they also value innovation when it comes to meeting community needs. When ICAN sees a need, they try to build programming or develop something to bridge the gap,” Wright explains.
ដោយរំលឹកពីកុមារភាពរបស់ខ្លួន Wright រំលឹកឡើងវិញពីការចាប់ផ្តើមសិក្សាថ្នាក់មត្តេយ្យនៅសាលាបឋមសិក្សា Albany។ ក្រោយមកនាងបានបញ្ចប់ការសិក្សាថ្នាក់បឋមសិក្សាពីសាលា Columbus ជាកន្លែងដែលគ្រូបង្រៀនដែលនាងចូលចិត្តម្នាក់គឺ Heather Galinski បច្ចុប្បន្នជានាយកសាលាបឋមសិក្សា Roscoe Conkling។
“If I had to give advice to Utica students today, I would say: live in your purpose. Be your true, authentic self. I feel like by being your authentic self, everything else will fall into place,” she says. “Sometimes we show up in this world as somebody we are not because somebody else wants us to be that person. And
the whole time, you're living in misery because you're not truly being yourself. So when you show up as you, everything that's aligned with who you are will come to you. Obviously, you have to work hard for it and there are going to be obstacles, things outside of your control, but be your authentic self and be kind. I feel there's enough space in the room for everybody. If you know something, teach somebody else. The more the merrier, right?” Wright proclaims.
After graduating from JFK Middle School and then Thomas R. Proctor High School, Wright remembers teachers who were strong advocates for her and her potential.
“Today in my role at ICAN, I work with William Smith. He's now the principal at General Herkimer, but to me, he was always Mr. Smith, my advanced math teacher at Proctor. I started out in A.I.S. math, and he advocated to get me out,” Wright says.
ខណៈពេលដែលការសិក្សារបស់នាងមានភាពងាយស្រួលក្នុងការទទួលបាន ខណៈពេលដែលនាងជានិស្សិតនៅ Utica ស្រុកសាលាក្រុង មហាវិទ្យាល័យ គឺជារឿងមួយផ្សេងទៀត។
“I wanted to go to the University at Albany. I only applied to one school, and unfortunately or maybe fortunately, I got rejected. So I applied to University at Buffalo because my best friend was going there at the time. I wanted to experience life outside of Utica. I was there for about a year and a half. Then going into my sophomore year, I got pregnant with my son.”
នាងបានបន្តថា “ខ្ញុំបានបញ្ចប់ការសិក្សាឆមាសទីមួយរបស់ខ្ញុំ ប៉ុន្តែនៅទីបំផុតបានត្រលប់មក Utica ហើយបានបញ្ចប់ការសិក្សាថ្នាក់បរិញ្ញាបត្ររបស់ខ្ញុំនៅ Utica មហាវិទ្យាល័យក្នុងឆ្នាំ ២០១៣” នាងបាននិយាយ។
Motherhood only fueled her desire to finish her degree. She earned her bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She then returned to her original passion: social work. It was a field she had tried to pursue in Buffalo but struggled to enter at the time.
“I graduated from Proctor with high honors and with an advanced Regents diploma. So when I got into college, I'm like, well now I don’t have to study! I didn't have the study habits I needed, and I couldn't get my GPA high enough to get into the social work major at Buffalo,” Wright recalled.
Still, she persevered. In 2019, Wright went on to earn her master’s degree in social work online from Case Western Reserve University.
Academics weren’t the only hurdles she had to overcome to be who she is today. Growing up, she moved around often and didn’t have a picture-perfect childhood.
«ពេលខ្លះមនុស្សគិតថា ដោយសារតែពួកគេឆ្លងកាត់រឿងរ៉ាវជាច្រើន ពួកគេមិនសក្តិសមទេ។ ម្តាយរបស់ខ្ញុំបានតស៊ូជាមួយនឹងសុខភាពផ្លូវចិត្ត និងការប្រើប្រាស់សារធាតុញៀន ហើយនោះហើយជាមូលហេតុដែលយើងផ្លាស់ប្តូរទីលំនៅច្រើន។ គាត់ក៏បានជួបប្រទះអំពើហិង្សាក្នុងគ្រួសារក្នុងទំនាក់ទំនងផងដែរ។ នោះបានបង្កើតឱ្យមានរបួសផ្លូវចិត្ត និងអស្ថិរភាពមួយចំនួននៅក្នុងជីវិតរបស់ខ្ញុំ។ ប៉ុន្តែទោះបីជាមានរបួសផ្លូវចិត្តនោះក៏ដោយ អ្នកនៅតែអាចក្លាយជាអ្នកដែលអ្នកចង់ក្លាយជា។ អ្នកនៅតែអាចទទួលបានជោគជ័យ» Wright បានចែករំលែក។
សព្វថ្ងៃនេះ នាងនៅតែជិតស្និទ្ធនឹងមិត្តរួមថ្នាក់បញ្ចប់ការសិក្សាជាច្រើនរបស់នាងនៅ Proctor ហើយនាងតែងតែឱ្យតម្លៃដល់ការចងចាំ និងមិត្តភាពដែលពួកគេបានបង្កើតឡើងក្នុងនាមជានិស្សិត។ ក្នុងនាមជាអ្នកសិក្សាពេញមួយជីវិត Wright មិនទាន់ឈប់ស្វែងរករបស់ថ្មីៗនៅឡើយទេ។ នាងមិនខ្លាចក្នុងការចែករំលែកពីភាពល្អ និងអាក្រក់នៃដំណើររបស់នាងឡើយ។ ភាពងាយរងគ្រោះរបស់នាងគឺជាការបំផុសគំនិតដូចជាការតាំងចិត្តរបស់នាងដែរ។
“I would say be proud of who you are and where you're from. Sometimes Utica gets a bad rap, but there's so much good happening here, especially in the District. If you decide to go away to college, which I think everybody should if they can, then think about coming back and pouring into your community. I think it's important for people to see the folks who are here doing the work, and also those who came back.”
She certainly practices what she preaches. Wright has established a donation-based clothing closet called Giving Closet, where she transports clothing and shoes to those in need.
Wright is thankful to the UCSD for its partnership in her professional life, and for the foundation it gave her growing up, leaving us with these closing words: “Utica made amazing people.”