Down Syndrome and an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD).
Celebrated For:
Jessika is a 19 year old girl who was born with Down Syndrome and an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). She underwent open heart surgery at 8 weeks old. By her first birthday she was doing amazingly well. She was staying relatively healthy and was working hard towards walking! As a young child, Jessika was a fairly social child. She didn’t mind people and would interact with them easily. As she grew older, she became more shy and less confident. It took her getting involved with extracurricular activities to begin to boost her confidence once again.
When she was in 3rd grade, she enrolled in a gymnastics and jazz dance class. While it took a while for her to warm up to the teacher, eventually she did and she really enjoyed classes. She loved performing! When Jessika was in 5th grade her teacher gave her a baton. She loved twirling so for the next 5 years she took lessons and participated in twirl competitions. Despite her disabilities, she was an asset to the team. She gained social and emotional confidence when being part of the team. She performed at her high school football games and always left the field after performances beaming with pride exclaiming, “I did it!”
Jessika loves the color pink, Mexican food and shopping for clothes and purses! Along with her passion for fashion, Jessika is also passionate about caring for her other classmates. Her teachers call her “little mama.” Her desire to help others has led her to volunteer for a few hours each day in the kindergarten classroom.
Jessika hopes to one day work as an assistant in a child care facility or in a nursing home facility where she can use her nurturing personality to help others.
“Jessika loves the color pink, Mexican food and shopping for clothes and purses! Along with her passion for fashion, Jessika is also passionate about caring for her other classmates!”