Living her entire life in Jamaica, Jaeda James had decided it was time for a change. Crossing over 1,500 miles, she went to Indiana. Stepping off her plane, Jaeda was filled with excitement about living in America.
“You know, I used to grow up watching Disney movies…” she recalled. “This is about to be my own Disney movie.”
Many people can relate to being the new kid at school. You don’t know where anything is, you don’t know anyone, and you have to figure out how everything works. Now imagine having to do all of that on a national scale. This is what it was like for James, who moved here during her sophomore year.
Jaeda moved from Jamaica to America with her aunt for the opportunities offered, and she has been adjusting since.
“I’m from St. Ann, that’s the biggest parish,” she said. Parishes are the Jamaican equivalent of states or counties in the US. “Specifically, Ocho Rios, St. Ann. Most people know Ocho Rios because it’s a tourist area.”
Jaeda took the move as an opportunity to fulfill her dreams.
“There are a lot of opportunities in America, opportunities that we don’t have in Jamaica, specifically college…” Jaeda said about why she took the trip.
Though immigrating was a time of wonder for Jaeda, it wasn’t without problems.
“I made no friends until the end of the trimester and then I kept getting lost because I didn’t know how the system worked. Like, my first time going to the cafeteria I walked out because I thought after you eat you just go to your classroom because that’s what we normally do. But then the lady was like, ‘oh, go back to the cafeteria!’ I’m like, ‘I didn’t know I was supposed to stay there!’ And then I didn’t understand the building and all the drills.“
In spite of the hardships of immigration, Jaeda has overcome many of the challenges she faced, finding community in her local church.
“I met a lot of people through his church community and they introduced me to other people and Mrs. Jenaffer [Beasley], she also goes to his church. So she introduced me to another church, which is Impact Church, and I do a lot of volunteer activities… I help with the school, the back-to-school stuff, children’s Bible study.”
Mrs. Beasley quickly became fond of Jaeda, bonding through their mutual faith and activities.
“She is a great student, soccer player, and lover of the Lord.” Mrs. Beasly said of her, “Jaeda is a peacemaker and has wisdom beyond her years. She helps calm squabbles and prevent colleagues from making big mistakes. She is often the ‘adult in the room’ amongst her peers.”
Mrs. Beasley recounted at the summer camp, “Never the Same”, Jaeda experiencing culture shock about getting ready in the mornings.
“Jaeda has learned how to get ready faster in the mornings or she will miss the bus.” Mrs. Beasley observed, “She has learned what a quick ‘American’ shower can be when you are at summer camp (2 – 4 minutes) as opposed to a lovely long Jamaican shower (20 minutes plus).”
Although Jaeda is on her own living with her aunt and cousins in Indiana, she still makes an effort to keep in touch with her family back home.
“I call them every day. Especially my mom… My mom’s my girl, you know?” Jaeda said.
This extended to her father as well.
“He recently moved to New York. So he lives in New York. He works a lot, so he doesn’t really visit.” Jaeda said of her dad. “But I do talk to him every day as well.”
Then, on Senior Night for the soccer team, Jaeda was under the impression she wouldn’t have any family. Her aunt was working, and her father was staying over 700 miles away, or so she thought.
“He surprised me there… he called me, and he was like, ‘oh, my God, Jada, I forgot to tell your aunt to buy you flowers, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘It’s okay. My pastors are probably going to buy flowers,’” she said.
Mr. Ulrich, a teacher and pastor at Jaeda’s church, had been informed ahead of time about the plan, and assisted in its execution.
“A few days before Senior Night, her aunt emailed me and let me know her dad was planning on being there to surprise her… As we walked onto the field, [my wife] told Jaeda, ‘Hey, we are going to pass you on to this guy.’ Jaeda’s dad was right on the other side of the fence,” he said.
“And then he showed up.” Jaeda recounted, laughing, “I’m like, ‘you liar!’ And then I started crying… and then Tom took all the pictures of me crying.”
Looking towards the future, Jaeda has big dreams.
“I plan to be a pilot.” Jaeda said of her dreams, “ I was supposed to start the Griffith Pilot School the 23rd of September, but because of soccer, I had to move it… So I’m going to do that in March to get my private pilot license, hopefully by the end of next year… Right after high school, I want to go to the Air Force.”
Although she is focused on working towards desires, she made a point to reflect on what she has been through and how she has changed.
“I am being resilient,” Jaeda said, “because it was so hard at the beginning, but now, I have a lot of friends, and I’m not scared to walk around the hallways anymore.”
