Randall Middle School Student To Receive Honor

In many ways 15-year-old Jessica Martinez is just a typical teenager. She enjoys listening to her iPod, hanging out with friends, playing badminton, winning hula hoop contests and shopping at the mall, especially Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale.

But Jessica has triumphed over many challenges to become a regular teenager. Born with a significant hearing loss, Jessica wears a hearing aid and participates in therapies designed to improve her communication ability. Through the use of an iCom, an innovative device that allows her to interface her hearing aid to modern communication devices such as her iPod, computer and cell phone, Jessica has even more ability to connect with the world.

Jessica has already endured more than 10 surgeries in her lifetime, including facial and sinus procedures, and she will undergo more surgery this summer to move her bottom jaw forward in an effort to help her speech. Still, this Randall Middle School eighth-grader has made straight A's throughout the last couple of years along with high FCAT scores and staying purposely involved in many extracurricular and volunteer activities.

Today the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners will recognize Jessica's hard work and dedication with the Youth Excellence and Achievement Award. The YEA! Awards recognize young leaders in Hillsborough County for making a difference in their community. Recipients of the award have displayed initiative, innovation, a commitment to themselves and others and a pursuit of excellence in a leadership capacity. These characteristics can be demonstrated through academics, community service, athletics, performing arts, conservation or other areas.

Along with five other Hillsborough County winners, Jessica will receive her award Wednesday, April 20, at the County Center in Tampa during the regular Hillsborough County Commission meeting. This will mark the first time the YEA! Awards have been presented since their creation in 2010 at the request of Commissioner Kevin Beckner.

Elizabeth Preziosi, dropout prevention specialist at Randall Middle School, remarks that Jessica is a very deserving student. "She is a wonderful student and an inspiration to other students," says Preziosi. "She has an incredibly positive outlook."

"I am very grateful to be receiving this award," says Jessica. "I work really hard in school and get involved in lots of extra activities."

Jessica is an active member of her student government association, this year serving as the club's sergeant at arms. She has volunteered her time with A Kid's Place as well as Angel Tree, where she collected and distributed toys for the Headstart Program children at Pinecrest Elementary School in Lithia.

Jessica will also be inducted into the National Junior Honor Society on May 5, an honor that she just learned about yesterday. "I was really happy," she states. "I was hoping I would get in."

Her optimistic attitude is contagious and when asked what advice she would give to other students who face challenges, she grins and states, "Stay positive about everything that comes into your life."

As for future plans, Jessica has plenty of time to decide, but she is thinking she might like to be an accountant since her favorite subject is math. But for now, when she's not factoring quadratic equations, Jessica stays busy being a typical teenage girl, and that's just the way she likes it.