ORANGE PARK – With every word, Jayla Vaughn seemed to gain a little more confidence and control. Her words started sheepish and bashful, but as the audience at the Pace Center for Girls’ Believing in Girls luncheon applauded her amazing accomplishments, she gained the confidence to look up do something completely out of character.
She smiled.
Like so many, Pace Executive Director Genelle Thomas and her staff refused to allow Jayla to become another forgotten soul in a society with too many girls who fall through the cracks and are left behind.
Like so many, Jayla was empowered at Pace. She will graduate next month, knowing a productive future awaits.
“This year, I am graduating with a 2.7 GPA,” she said firmly and proudly. “That number might not mean much to some people, but to me, it means everything. It represents every late night, every hard conversation, every time I chose to keep going instead of quitting. It represents growth. It represents resilience.
“It represents a girl who once thought she wasn't smart enough, proving herself wrong,” Jayla said.
The Believing in Girls luncheon was a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization where middle and high school girls find the support, guidance, and resources they need to thrive with full academic school day and comprehensive mental health support, tailored to meet the unique needs of each girl.
The luncheon was filled with emotional and inspiring stories of success from students and community leaders like keynote speaker Sheriff Michelle, who ended her comments with a tearful story of a “young girl” who grew up wanting to be in law enforcement.
“I won't tell you what year she graduated, but I will tell you it was more than 10 years ago and less than 50. She decided soon after school that she wanted to go be a police officer, and she was told she couldn't do it. She was told she was too little, too sick, and she was a girl and that she would never ever make it,” she said.
The sheriff stopped to fight her own emotions, pressing her lips and eyes tight to fight back tears.
“Undaunted, this young police officer moved up through the ranks, earning the right to lead as she gained experience which she never gave up. After a successful career with a large agency, she moved to a smaller agency where she became the chief of police. After having the privilege of leading the men and women in that department, she found her way back home and endured a tough political fight to become sheriff.
“Through the wins and struggles of leading others, she never retired of serving others, and just a few weeks ago, this young girl, who's now a middle-aged woman, middle-age-ish, who once walked the halls of a local high school, stepped up to the podium and shook the hand of the President of the United States and gave a speech at the White House.”
Jayla was also given the tools to accomplish success by Pace and Mercy Support Services, which provided house parents, Mary Joy and Tony Fiore. She did the rest.
There she learned to fish and enjoy Jacksonville Jaguar games. But more significantly, she learned structure and purpose.
“I was 17 years old when I came to Pace,” Jayla said. “Before that, I hadn't been in school for almost two years. I felt embarrassed, ashamed, and like I didn't belong anywhere.
“I struggled in the community and was performing at an elementary level. I didn't think I was smart. I didn't think I was capable, and I didn't think I would even graduate.”
The Fiores have been house parents to other children. Jayla presented a unique set of challenges, but she responded to their guidelines. And love.
“I saw the big smile at the very end,” Mary Joy said. “She finally smiled at me.”
Which should make us all happy.
