Bowie High student Jaida Nava has always had a knack for helping her community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 17-year-old first started when she would help her mother clean the area around the Amber Hagerman memorial<\/a> while she was in elementary school. Now, she\u2019s helping lead a movement to renew her high school\u2019s courtyards and get others involved in volunteer work to help out their community.<\/p>\n Jaida said she saw gaps around her and wanted to help fill them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a mix of personal experiences where I wished I had resources, so I just wanted to multiply that for others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Jaida\u2019s work in the community and at her school earned her a nomination in 52 Faces of Community<\/a>, Fort Worth Report\u2019s weekly series highlighting unsung heroes in Tarrant County.<\/p>\n When she was a sophomore, Jaida began volunteering at Mission Arlington\u2019s free clinic, the Bob Mann Medical Clinic, as a translator. Weeks after she began, she left to help take care of her ailing grandfather.\u00a0<\/p>\n On trips to doctors\u2019 appointments with her grandparents, she began translating for them and saw a bigger need.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to fix the gap of language barriers, cultural barriers, different perspectives on health care and helping each other,\u201d Jaida said.<\/p>\n The love for health and the medical field stuck with her. Currently, she\u2019s taking an electrocardiogram course and plans to apply for an EKG technician position with the hope of becoming a doctor in the future.<\/p>\n As a P-Tech student at Bowie High, where she takes college courses through Tarrant County College and specialized health science courses, she found her peers needed help finding ways to get engaged.<\/p>\n In 2024, she created a master document filled with volunteering opportunities. The resources are meant not only to fulfill students\u2019 required volunteering hours but also to make a positive impact on the community.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be something besides just standing there and being emotional support,\u201d Jaida said. \u201cIt was feeding people and donating clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, one of her fellow students approached her about joining a student-led club focused on mental health.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s making sure that this is something that\u2019s not just about her, it\u2019s not about Bowie, but it\u2019s about making the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee Jones, Bowie High School principal and nominator<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Recently, Jaida and the group were awarded a Texas Health Wellness Innovation Grant to help fund their efforts to renovate the school\u2019s courtyards.<\/p>\n She said the group was looking to find a safe space for students to gather outside of the walls of the school.<\/p>\n Jaida added that students became hesitant to go outside during their lunch period due to a shooting that took place on the campus<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cBowie is getting better, (we still want) that extra push where students can be excited to learn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Jaida said a group of students and the club\u2019s adviser go to the courtyards twice a week to clean the area.<\/p>\n Her hope is that the courtyards be multiuse, serving as a gathering place, a place for students to de-stress and even an outdoor classroom when needed.<\/p>\n Know an unsung hero in Tarrant County?<\/p>\n Tell us about them by filling out the form below. <\/p>\n Bowie High Principal Lee Jones said that Jaida\u2019s work has made him evaluate how he can foster his students\u2019 passions and work.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s one of those individuals who is like that rippling effect,\u201d Jones said. \u201cShe\u2019s making sure that this is something that\u2019s not just about her, it\u2019s not about Bowie, but it\u2019s about making the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n Jaida and the club have also put an emphasis on getting sophomores and juniors involved to keep the work going long term, Jones said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not just thinking about today,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThey\u2019re thinking about today, and they\u2019re thinking about tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n