The Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education honored three students in the area of career exploration naming them “207’s Best” at a recent meeting. Dalesha Jeanty from Maine West was honored for her hard work, creativity and humbleness.
The following information was written about Dalesha Jeanty as part of the nomination by Maine West principal Dr. Eileen McMahon:
DALESHA JEANTY, MAINE WEST
Odds are, most if not all of the people in this room have run across the creativity, diligence, and attention to detail that Dalesha Jeanty brings to her work. As an intern in District 207’s own Communications Department, she has posted for us on social media, written news releases, and contributed to special projects over the last several months. She is a deeply thoughtful, creative young woman who somehow doesn’t seem to know just how much of an impact she has made in our school. Her teachers, her internship supervisors, and our Careers Coordinator all see that there is so much to this quiet, humble superstar.
During Dalesha’s freshman year she attended one of Ms. Nelson’s Career Exploration Workshops. Since then, she has attended virtually every single one, taking every possible opportunity to inform her choices about her career path. When one of those workshops featured journalism and communications, Dalesha went during her lunch period. From there, Ms. Nelson connected her to Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark made himself available, and Dalesha started an internship for her senior year, collaborating with Ms. Thevenin on social media and releases. During sophomore year, Dalesha took Digital Art and designed a poster that the teacher selected to publicize the Fine Arts Showcase. Dalesha saw her work all over the school, and found herself designing more flyers, for bake sales and club events, becoming the go-to designer for the National English Honor Society. As a gifted writer, she has realized that she finds it compelling to put messaging out into the world, with both words and visuals. Dalesha told me that she started pursuing a career path early because she had the impression that “other kids seemed to know what they wanted to do.” I think her path, through career panels, her internship, job shadowing, and coursework demonstrates a much more deliberate and reliable approach to finding her way. Dalesha has taken thoughtful, informed step after thoughtful, informed step, and is clearly well on her way to learning the tools and finding the platforms to put her distinctive voice out there.
Dalesha’s teachers are so grateful for her emerging voice and quiet impact in her classes. Ms. Betthauser, who taught Dalesha in Intro to Business, observed that Dalesha “always put her BEST foot first and stood out amongst her peers. She put genuine effort and interest into every task, even if it was not her favorite. She is an amazing student and I am very excited to see what her future has in store for her!”
Her English teacher, Ms. McGowan, draws on two years of coursework with Dalesha to share this: “Always putting in extra effort and curious about how to extend her skills, Dalesha was a shining star in English II accelerated, and I’ve been delighted to have the good luck to teach her again this year as a senior. She has written thoughtful critiques of American consumerism — and our obsession with water bottle brands and Beats headphones — as well as meaningful analysis of current events. Her ability to ask insightful questions and dig into challenging topics makes her a stand-out student in any classroom.”
Ms. Archer seemed to capture just how such a quiet young woman made such an impact in class: Dalesha was such an incredible addition to Interpersonal Relationships. I always valued her steady, positive attitude and her genuine eagerness to work with everyone. Even in a room full of big personalities, she never lost her focus; instead, she had a natural way of bringing others along with her. I truly enjoyed the time she spent in my class.
Even classes that don’t directly tie to her career path were places where Dalesha shined. In Yoga, Ms. Jacob said, “Dalesha is a pure delight. Every day she had a great attitude and a smile on her face. She is a hard worker and always did her best in Yoga. I am thrilled she is receiving an award!” And Ms. Voigt, also from the Health & Wellness Department, raved about her: “This is so great! Dalesha is a fantastic kid! She is a quiet leader and someone who leads by example. She is kind and respectful to everyone. Go Dalesha!”
Mr. Clark, who has worked with Dalesha on her internship, highlighted her commitment to excellence and goodwill: “Dalesha is a joy to be around. She is an extremely positive person in her quiet way. She is always smiling and seeks feedback with an eye toward learning… I recently read a news release she prepared and I usually have tons of edits for student work. In this case, there were very few changes because of the work she put in on the project. If Dalesha decides to pursue a career in communications, she will be successful because of her skills, ability and attitude toward hard work.
Ms. Thevenin enthusiastically agrees: “It’s been such an honor to have Dalesha on our team as a communications intern this semester and I couldn’t be prouder to see her recognized as 207’s Best. She’s bright, reliable, responsible and incredibly kind. Dalesha always shows up with a positive attitude and is not afraid to ask questions. She’s done such a great job so far with writing press releases and social copy and I’m eager to see how her skills continue to blossom and grow over the remainder of the semester. I know Dalesha will go on to do great things and I’m excited to see what she does after her time at Maine West. To Dalesha, thank you for choosing our office – we’re so happy to have you – and congratulations on this well deserved honor!”
Finally, Ms. Nelson, who nominated Dalesha for this award, highlighted her focus and resourcefulness: Dalesha is a thoughtful and determined student who has gone above and beyond to explore a variety of career paths. Since her sophomore year she has always looked for ways to learn more about herself and the industries that best suit her. She has participated in several career exploration workshops, attended yearly career panels, led informational interviews, and interned at 2 different internship sites. Even in her own exploration she has excelled in utilizing all the career tools available to her and was highlighted positively for doing so. I know Dalesha will continue to obtain meaningful career experiences in college and succeed in any career she chooses.
Dalesha described herself to me as quiet but emphasized how much is there beneath the surface. One might be tempted to say that she keeps to herself, but that would be inaccurate because she gives so much to others. She’s helping me expand my musical tastes, for example, and she’s the reason people at school know about some of the events that enrich students’ lives. Dalesha is honing her voice and building the skills to make sure it is heard, and I am excited. She may be quiet, but that voice will not be denied.