JRA: Alumni: Jenna Nales

I graduated from Julie Rohr Academy in 2005, after being a student there since the age of three. I am presently a student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, after graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School in May of 2009. My experience at Julie Rohr Academy (JRA) provided me with an excellent foundation, which was a great stepping stone to high school. It is a small, secure, family environment to grow up in, while gaining a valuable education.  JRA was a place where Mrs. Julie knew every student, and everyone knew one another. A place where the older students were examples and looked up to by the younger students. Julie Rohr is also a place that provides great opportunities for students of all kinds of interests. I have always been into athletics, and while at JRA, I was able to be part of some of the first sports teams. I played volleyball and basketball, and was a member of the district championship basketball team in 2003. While in sports at JRA, I had several coaches who inspired me. Julie Rohr also provides every student with the chance to participate in a major musical theater production. Although music was not my major interest, I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the productions each year. Not only was it an exciting experience, much different than sports, but it also gave me more confidence in many different areas. A number of these, public speaking in particular, would become very important to me down the road.  After graduating from Julie Rohr, moving onto high school and a new environment was not a difficult experience for me at all. I felt ready for this next step due to all the preparation Julie Rohr had provided.

At Cardinal Mooney High School, I was able to achieve many great things which would have never been possible without the strong foundation that I had received from JRA. As a freshman, I made the Varsity Girl's Basketball Team, and went on to earn a four-year starting position. I was chosen to be a team captain in both my junior and senior years. Sophomore year, I decided to run for a Student Government position, and was elected Parliamentarian. The following year I became the Vice President, and my senior year I was elected President. In this new leadership role, I used the confidence which I had gained from Julie Rohr productions. As President of the Student Government, I was called upon to speak to many different groups:  incoming freshmen and transfer students, middle school students interested in Mooney, and even the entire student body and faculty on more than one occasion. While at Cardinal Mooney, I also became a member of the National Honors Society (NHS), which was another leadership role in the Mooney community. As NHS members, we served as examples for younger students and also lead events such as school tours. I later graduated from Cardinal Mooney with a career GPA of 4.78, putting me in the top 5 of my class. At our Senior Awards Banquet, I was presented with the Female Christian Athlete Award, and also named the female Outstanding Senior, an amazing honor voted on by my classmates and teachers. I truly feel that these accomplishments may have never been possible had I not received such an excellent foundation in my elementary and middle school years. Julie Rohr Academy is a great place for students of all types, interests, and backgrounds, and there is no doubt that it can be the perfect stepping stone for a student's future achievement and success.

Jenna Nales