Jaidyn doesn’t do anything halfway. The recent Bellevue East High School graduate applied to more than 30 colleges, raised her ACT score from 28 to 34, graduated a semester early, and was named a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. She did all of this while holding down a job, leading her senior class, and chairing a committee on the Mayor’s Youth Council.
To say she has been preparing for her future would be an understatement.
“Being academically strong has set the pace,” Jaidyn says. “I know what helps me do best and in what environment. I’m not going into college blind.”
A Dream That Started Early and Evolved
Jaidyn always knew she wanted to be in the medical field, but there was one problem — she’s squeamish. So rather than abandoning her desire to help people, she started thinking bigger.
“I want something that has a more expansive impact than being a doctor,” she says. “You can make changes that help whole communities.”
That realization led her to public health, a field where policy, business, and health intersect in exactly the way Jaidyn’s mind works. She is involved in DECA, a business-focused club where students compete and volunteer, and she says the experience helped her connect her interest in healthcare with a love for strategy and systems. Someday, she hopes to lead programs at organizations like the CDC or WHO, working across borders to help people live healthier lives. A master’s degree is already part of the plan.
Her top undergraduate choices are Duke University, a school she fell in love with as a kid watching basketball, and the University of Southern California, drawn by its big-city energy and strong academic reputation. Through QuestBridge, she also applied to Penn, Columbia, and Yale. Among the offers already on the table, free tuition at the University of Nebraska Omaha through the Regents Scholarship stands out as a highlight. She’s also waiting to hear back about both the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship and the Gates Scholarship.
Saying Yes to Every Opportunity
A big part of what sets Jaidyn apart is her willingness to try things she never expected to love. She joined yearbook on a whim and ended up as editor, discovering a passion for writing, design, and managing people. She joined DECA despite initially not knowing much about it and walked away with skills she plans to carry into her career. She joined the Mayor’s Youth Council and served as social media chair.
“I’ve been given so many opportunities,” she says. “Each one a chance to explore.”
That openness extended to academics too. After her first ACT score came in at 28, she knew she could do better. She studied, retook the tests, and earned a 34. It was a moment that reinforced something she already suspected of herself: when she sets her mind to something, she follows through.
Jaidyn graduated a semester early — finishing four AP classes in her final semester — and describes it as both an accomplishment and a relief. “It felt good to be done,” she says with a laugh.
The Piece She Didn’t Know Was Missing
For all her preparation and drive, Jaidyn admits there was something she hadn’t thought about much about before joining College Possible her junior year: the actual process of getting to college. “I hadn’t really thought much about the how,” she says. “Now I know so much more.”
Scholarships were practically a foreign concept before the program. Tips for applications, essays, and navigating decisions were things she was initially figuring out on her own. And while her parents have always been her biggest supporters, they earned their degrees later in life, making it hard for them to fully understand her experience.
Her advising specialist, Hannah, has helped fill that gap by answering questions, offering perspective, and perhaps most importantly, reminding Jaidyn of her own strengths during a season that can feel overwhelming.
“Hannah reminds me that I’m a great student regardless of college decisions. No matter where I end up, I’m still going to achieve the goals I have.”
The group sessions through College Possible have added another layer of comfort by connecting with her peers who are navigating the same uncertainties.
Her Advice to Students Just Starting Out
Jaidyn knows that the path she’s on didn’t happen by accident. It was built through years of showing up, saying yes, and pushing herself. But she’s also quick to remind younger students that it doesn’t have to look a certain way to count. “It’s okay to not know what you want to do,” she says. “Don’t set your heart on one thing. Try to go through more experiences to figure it out.”
And when it comes to College Possible, she sums up what the program means to her simply and clearly. “Support no matter what, and long-standing support, because even when you go into college, the support doesn’t stop.”
