Inspiring Teens Magazine Features

Jessica Stabile

10/23/2020

Jessica Stabile - Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Nomination and Photography by Linda James Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Jessica Stabile is a sweet, energetic, intelligent & kind young woman. I've had the privilege of knowing her since she was in preschool! She works hard at everything she does. She's a star basketball player & currently the only senior on her team, enabling her to be a strong leader. She maintains excellent grades, serves as a rep on my senior model team, captain of her basketball team, mentors freshman students and works a part-time job at a retirement community. She plans to study forensic science in college & pursue a career in the FBI.

Photography by Linda James Photography

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Throughout my life, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been extremely important to me. Everyone is not the same and we all face challenges. These challenges could be because of our race, religion, gender, sexual identity, or even medical condition. I was taught to accept everyone from a young age because my father has epilepsy. I have seen first-hand the discrimination and struggles of someone having a disability and it shaped me into a person who is not afraid to stick up for what is right and who wants to use their voice to make a difference. The stigma surrounding my father's medical condition fueled ignorance and discrimination throughout his life. It is time to flatten the curve on ignorance to people with medical conditions and disabilities. I am and will continue to be an advocate for educating my peers on the importance of inclusion and equity on all levels. One initiative that I am actively involved in at the student level is a freshman mentoring program at my high school. My goal through this program is to address issues of bias and judgment to create a more empathetic, equal, and welcoming community.

If you were to present a topic to a group of your peers, what would it be on and why?
Through my experience in mentorship and leadership, I learned that everyone experiences adversity, and these problems or situations can be easily overcome with the right support system, attitude, and direction. My mentorship and leadership roles game me a new perspective on the importance of providing a positive and welcoming climate in new, challenging situations. It is important for teens to look for those people and groups that are there to help and provide guidance. This has taught me that we do not make this journey all by ourselves, but it is up to us to seek out the right help and be brave enough to accept that help.

Photography by Linda James Photography

We love that you are taking a leadership role on something you are so passionate about. Tell us about your freshman mentoring program - how it got started, how often you meet, how you address the issues, and how you feel the group is impacted and carries the message outside of the group.
Link Crew is a national program designed to help facilitate the freshmen transition into high school. As a Link Crew Leader at my high school, I am assigned a group of freshmen each year to help them navigate through their freshman year. We start to build relationships with our group in the summer with various activities, which continues throughout the school year. Drawing on my past experiences and challenges as an incoming freshman, I encouraged students to join new activities, helped them identify resources for academic help, provided frequent communication on social activities, and talked through issues that students were experiencing. I stressed the importance of trying new activities even though they may be intimidating at first, and to not be afraid to reach out for help when they are struggling academically or socially. I enjoyed watching my group grow as young adults and face and conquer their struggles head-on. Most importantly, this program provided a positive school culture and climate and the lessons will carry over in all stages of life, far beyond their freshman year.

Congratulations on your success in basketball. Tell us what you love about the sport, how long you've played, a favorite memory, and what legacy or thoughts you want to leave behind to the underclassman players.
I have been playing basketball since 2nd grade when my dad was my first coach. He helped mold me into the player that I am today. Since then, I’ve played in multiple leagues and played in tournaments all over the United States with some of the most talented athletes in the country. My favorite memory is from my junior year when my high school team traveled to Florida to compete in a national tournament. We took first place and also grew tremendously as a team. I truly enjoy my role of team captain and providing leadership and mentorship to the underclassmen. I am sure the underclassman players may not remember how many games we won or lost in a particular season, but I hope they remember how I made them feel as a person and teammate both on and off the court.

Photography by Linda James Photography

Tell us about your model team. What do you do in it and what do you love best about it? Why would you recommend your model team to upcoming seniors?
I am fortunate to have worked with Linda James Photography on her teen modeling team as well as her senior team. I appreciate that Linda provides a welcoming environment and fun opportunities for the group to regularly meet, acts as a mentor, and makes us all feel equally confident. She has a talent to perfectly capture each of our unique personalities, whether it be in a group or individual shoot, and I would highly recommend upcoming seniors to get involved so they can make some irreplaceable memories and meet new friends their senior year.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
I plan to be graduating college with a degree in forensic science and criminal law with hopes of pursuing a career with the FBI.

What is your favorite activity or pastime that was not in your nomination?
I love to travel and attend concerts with my friends. I have traveled around the country to see my favorite artists. I have really missed concerts during the pandemic and can’t wait until I can attend them again!

Look for Jessica in Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 39

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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Julia Ischinger

10/19/2020

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Julia Ischinger – Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Photography by Julia Ischinger
Nomination by Kristen Ischinger
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Julia Ischinger is a smart, hard-working junior. She takes honors and AP classes and is very motivated. She is involved in student government, athletic council, and plays lacrosse. Julia has a big heart and loves helping others.

Photography by CPI Photography

Tell us about your honors and AP classes and what keeps you motivated.
This year I am in 4 honors classes and 2 AP classes. What keeps me motivated is thinking that all this hard work will pay off in the future. I focus on my goals of going to a good college and having a good job.

What part do you play in student government?
I am involved in helping set up fundraisers and events for my school and before Corona we would help set up dances and other events.

Photography by CPI Photography

What is the athletic council and what do you do in it?
The athletic council goes hand-in-hand with student government. They focus on the themes we would have for football games, school spirit, homecoming week, and the powderpuff football game. I help set up all these events as well.

How long have you played lacrosse and what got you interested? What is a favorite memory from it?
I played lacrosse since my freshmen year. I thought I should pick up a sport and everyone who played in my school was also relatively new to it. My favorite memories are the practices and becoming close with the girls on the team.

Look for Julia in issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information on issue 39

Click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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Jazlyn Yanssens

9/24/2020

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Jazlyn Yanssens - Pennsylvania
Interview by Olivia Bush
Noination and Photography by Photographybyalessa
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Jazlyn Yanssens is selfless, helpful, caring and a life saver. One early morning this summer I witnessed a man collapse in the park across the street from our house. After calling 911 I ran to check on him and discovered he was not breathing. The 911 operator asked if I knew CPR and I answered “no, but my daughter does.” I ran to get her, she was asleep, but jumped out of bed, and ran to the park without hesitation. She immediately began CPR, and it WORKED! She saved his life. After a week in the hospital, and many prayers he came to visit her to thank his “Angel”. Thankfully, Jazlyn knew what to do because she was a lifeguard. She has inspired me to take CPR and she hopes she inspired others to do the same.

Photography by Photographybyalessa

Tell me about the moment when you were woken up by your mom, what was going through your head in that moment?
The moment my mom woke me up, I instantly thought I woke up late for moving my brother into college. I never would have expected to be saving a life.

Why did you decide to get your CPR certification and why do you believe it is important for others to get theirs?
I got my CPR certification during my life guard training. I decided to do this because I thought it would be a fun job to work at our local pool with a bunch of my friends from the swim team. I think it is very important that others get certified because you never know when you’ll need to step into help someone like I did.

Photography by Photographybyalessa

What does it mean to you to be an inspiration to many people because you saved this man's life?
It means a lot to me that people see me as an inspiration because I saved a mans life. I love knowing that people feel safe around me because of what I did, it’s also an honor knowing people look up to me and want to learn CPR because of my story.

What different volunteer projects have you participated in and which has been your favorite?
I have also volunteered at school tutoring for middle school students and worked in the tech department. I also walk my elderly neighbor’s dog a couple times a week. My favorite would have to be tutoring though, I love working with the students one on one. I also love hearing feedback that I helped raise their grades.

Photography by Photographybyalessa

What inspired you to want to become a lifeguard? How long have you been doing this and where else do you work?
Many of my teammates on the swim team are life guards and our assistant coach is the manager at the pool, so I thought it would be fun to work with my teammates at the pool. I only got to work at the pool one summer, since the pool got closed due to covid this summer. I now work for a sign company.

What is the hardest thing you’ve ever accomplished, and how did you do it?
One of the hardest things I’ve accomplished was qualifying for the district championship for swimming. Our girls team qualified for the 200-freestyle relay. At the beginning of the season we never thought we would’ve made it, but we worked hard as a team and went all out at every meet, and qualified at our very last chance. It was such an amazing feeling we got to experience as a team.

Photography by Photographybyalessa

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans for the future?
In the future I plan on going to college and earning a bachelors degree in supply chain management.

Who do you find inspiring?
My mom is my inspiration. She is the hardest worker I know and would love to be half the woman she is one day. She is her own boss, working for her businesses she’s made for herself. She is such a hard worker and deserves everything she receives.

Jazlyn will be featured in issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

Click here for more information on issue 38

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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Sierra Zaccagnino

8/20/2020

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Sierra Zaccagnino - Pennsylvania
Interview by Diamond Orin
Nomination by Caryn Gratz
Photography by Inspiring Teens Magazine
Issue 37 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

The Nomination: Sierra Zaccagnino, Editor of Inspiring Teens Magazine, is a creative and natural leader with unwavering determination. In school she is her class’ public relations officer, the VP of the National English Honor Society, an FBLA competitor and voting delegate, and a team leader of the freshman mentor program. She does this all while maintaining a high academic standard of being in the top 10% of her 400+ student class. Sierra spends much of her free time drawing and painting, playing piano, writing stories, and turning sketches into fashion designs. After college, she aims to pursue a career in advertising and marketing.

Photography by Inspiring Teens Magazine

How did you get involved with Inspiring Teens Magazine and what does your role as editor entail? What do you like most about being involved with so many teens from all over the world through it?
I initially wrote articles and participated in photoshoots for the magazine starting my freshman year of high school. Over the years I have had a couple of ideas on how to improve the magazine and keep things fresh, so I was very happy to accept the editor position at the start of my junior year. My primary responsibility is to review all interview submissions from nominated teens and edit their writing, without altering their stories. One of my favorite parts of my position is leading our online international meetings where members come together to develop leadership conferences and global service projects. I love getting to know and speak with the inspiring teens who I read so much about!

What do you like so much about being a leader?
Being a leader is important to me because I have the opportunity to foster a collaborative community and I get to uplift others. People look up to you as a leader, and I enjoy carrying that responsibility.

What are your duties as a class’ public relations officer?
As the public relations officer, I control the class profile on social media platforms and use these platforms, as well as regular print media, to share and receive information with the student population. I also work with the other student officers to plan and run popular events such as the Homecoming Dance, Junior Prom, Fall Festival, and Senior Prom.

How do you balance extra circulars and your leadership positions while maintaining top 10% in your class?
Most of my extracurriculars and leadership positions revolve around subjects that I already work on in school, so I like to view these activities as extensions of my learning outside the classroom. Additionally, I find it best to take challenging classes that you’re truly interested in because then you will have more motivation to learn and excel. For example, I choose to take more English and history courses because I know that I’m willing to put in the effort for subjects I love.

Photography by Sierra Zaccagnino

What kind of fashion do you like to design, why?
I like to blend contemporary and artistic fashion because there is something incredibly satisfying about wearing clothes that I’ve designed myself, but it is also rewarding to see more experimental ideas come to life. I was fortunate enough to spend some of last summer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago learning all about fashion design through the lens of fabric manipulation and dimensional art.

What is your favorite kind of story, why?
While I do have a soft spot for certain historical tales, my favorite type of stories are primarily realistic or dystopian fiction. In general, I enjoy a book with good character development, appropriate pacing, unique point (or points) of view, and a distinctive voice. Some memorable books that I’ve read recently are Disappearing Earth and Normal People.

How does everything you do keep you so focused on your final goal?
Storytelling is a big part of my identity given that I often incorporate it in all my creative and even academic ventures. I know that I can use a strength like this in the future within an advertising or marketing career because I will need to analyze situations from multiple viewpoints. Knowing this furthermore encourages me to continue expressing myself and seek new experiences from which to learn.

click here for more information on issue 37

click here to nominate an inspiring teen

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Jessica Stabile

Jessica Stabile - Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Nomination and Photography by Linda James Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Julia Ischinger

Julia Ischinger – Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Photography by Julia Ischinger
Nomination by Kristen Ischinger
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Jazlyn Yanssens

Jazlyn Yanssens - Pennsylvania
Interview by Olivia Bush
Noination and Photography by Photographybyalessa
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Sierra Zaccagnino

Sierra Zaccagnino - Pennsylvania
Interview by Diamond Orin
Nomination by Caryn Gratz
Photography by Inspiring Teens Magazine
Issue 37 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

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Jessica Stabile

Jessica Stabile - PennsylvaniaInterview by Inspiring TeensNomination and Photography by Linda James PhotographyIssue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine​

Julia Ischinger

Julia Ischinger – PennsylvaniaInterview by Inspiring TeensPhotography by Julia IschingerNomination by Kristen IschingerIssue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine​

Jazlyn Yanssens

Jazlyn Yanssens - PennsylvaniaInterview by Olivia BushNoination and Photography by PhotographybyalessaIssue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine​

Sierra Zaccagnino

​Sierra Zaccagnino - PennsylvaniaInterview by Diamond OrinNomination by Caryn GratzPhotography by Inspiring Teens MagazineIssue 37 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Featured

Archives

Categories

Jessica Stabile - Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Nomination and Photography by Linda James Photography
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Julia Ischinger – Pennsylvania
Interview by Inspiring Teens
Photography by Julia Ischinger
Nomination by Kristen Ischinger
Issue 39 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Jazlyn Yanssens - Pennsylvania
Interview by Olivia Bush
Noination and Photography by Photographybyalessa
Issue 38 of Inspiring Teens Magazine

Sierra Zaccagnino - Pennsylvania
Interview by Diamond Orin
Nomination by Caryn Gratz
Photography by Inspiring Teens Magazine
Issue 37 of Inspiring Teens Magazine