JADE ISMAIL's GRADUATION INVITE

YOU'RE INVITED TO

Jade's

Graduation Ceremony THU, MAY 18TH AT 6:30PM 444 CAJUNDOME BLVD, LAFAYETTE, LA 70506 (CAJUNDOME) Contact JADE at (337) 315 7761 for More Information

About Me

Speech & Debate Speech & Debate has been my home for almost six years now. Originally it started as a place to put my extensive talking capabilities to use, but it quickly turned into so much more. In this activity I found a family, a group of people that made me feel loved and accepted. For the first time I knew what it felt like to be loved unconditionally. That feeling would later take me to places far beyond the classroom.

More Than An Extracurricular While the trophies look nice, the story behind them has a much deeper meaning.

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with a feeling of disconnection from my own body. I felt like a passenger in a life I was forced to live. It was hard putting it into words. It feels like you're on the brink of discovering something new, but you're missing one vital component.

The Story Behind the Trophy

Discovering My Identity Last year, I finally accepted that the component I was missing was coming to terms with who I was, a trans woman. I had been living 17 years believing that I had this illness that would one day consume me.

I was overcome with depression and anxiety trying to navigate adolescence while battling this "curse." I could not have been more wrong. Who I was wasn't a curse. I was not condemned to a life of darkness because of my identity. I came out to a handful of my friends and that summer I competed with a piece that would change my life forever. After advancing to the top 6 in the nation, I told my story in front of thousands of people.

June 16, 2022, marked my coming out to not only the people in the audience, but to friends and family at home who were so happy to see me live my truth.

Angel Sent From God My sophomore year, I moved to Comeaux after experiencing one of the worst summers ever.

Covid had ruined my freshman year, my home life was very difficult, and most of all, I no longer had Speech & Debate, my one place to escape. After I was told I would not be returning to my old school I meticulously constructed a plan to escape my current circumstances and make a mark on the world.

I knew I couldn't do it alone, so I contacted Jacob Simon (who was previously the Theatre & Speech Director but is now Assistant Principal) to aid me in the process. He helped me get into the Performance Arts Academy at Comeaux as well as rekindled my love for Speech after being away for over a year.

On the first day of school, he introduced me to everyone, and it felt like maybe everything that went wrong was for a reason; I was where I belonged. Flash forward to now, and Simon is my favorite adult on this planet.

He is caring, helpful, considerate, giving, and most of all, he treats me like I am worthy of existence. I can't count how many time he has gone out of his way to make sure I was comfortable or had food over a long break after getting kicked out or had a way to communicate with friends after my phone broke. Without Jacob Simon, none of this would be possible. Moving away is going to be extremely hard. Simon has been there for me through everything. He swears I could've done it myself, but I know God wanted us to meet. It was His plan that we would cross paths and push each other to be better people. Simon, thank you for everything you've done for me. I perform, I live, I speak because I know people like you have worked hard to make sure I can survive. People like you made the times when I felt like I could go no longer, just a little bit more bearable.

For you, I am forever grateful.

What Next?

Looking Into The Future

This fall I will be attending Western Kentucky University where I will double major in Psychology (with a concentration in Social-Behavioral Science) and Sociology (with a concentration in Family, Gender, & Sexuality studies). I plan on enrolling in the accelerated BA to PhD program to expedite the grad-school process. I will also be competing on the Speech & Debate team there as I was offered $60,000 to do so.

How You Can Help Below, I linked my Amazon Wishlist with dorm, hygiene, and other college needs that you could purchase from if you choose to do so. Outside of this list, I would love to have an Apple MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to do all of my work on, but of course none of this is mandatory. I am very thankful for any help that you give or have given. I hope that in my future endeavors I can continue to make you proud. tinyurl.com/JADECOLLEGE

JADE ISMAIL'S GRADUATION

Thank You

Cant Wait To See You! P.S. AT GRADUATION, I WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT MY DIPLOMA WITH MY DEAD NAME ON IT AS WELL AS HEAR IT ANNOUNCED TO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. OUT OF RESPECT FOR ME, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF I WAS REFERRED TO WITH THE CORRECT NAME AND PRONOUNS (JADE, SHE/HER). I WANT THIS DAY TO BE SPECIAL, SO DISRESPECT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

Contact JADE at (337) 315 7761 for More Information