samaria
Jackson
2023 High School Graduate
We are so glad you have joined us in celebrating this major milestone and launch into a new chapter of life.
Scroll through our virtual open house and enjoy snapshots of Samaria’s story to learn what is next for her exciting life story! I’m sure you’ll agree, she’s grown to be quite an amazingly brave and beautiful young woman!
isn't She cute!?
Born on February 10, 2005 @ 8:22pm. Samaria captured the hearts and minds of us all being the first granddaughter of both the Kuiper and Jackson families and the first great-granddaughter on the Kuiper (and VanderJagt) side.
Weighing in at 8lbs 4oz and 20” long with a full head of dark beautiful curls, she was cute as a button and a bundle of absolute joy!
Her big brother was thrilled to have a sibling albeit a little nervous to meet her that first night.
the dance years
Samaria dabbled in dance for a few years attending class at Miss Roseanne’s Dance Studio in Jenison. She had a blast with tap and ballet always bringing her energy to all of her performances!
Later in life, she went back to dance for a year of Hip Hop with the Body Language Dance Company in Jenison.
excelling in an unexpected sport
For several years, Samaria dove into the untraditional sport of Fencing. She participated in an intro to fencing summer camp with the West Michigan Fencing Academy and to our great surprise….she loved it.
After a short time of training, she was quickly launched into several local, regional and eventually state competitions. She brought home multiple medals, but most notable was her silver medal for the State of Michigan Games. Her placement rank in this competition landed her a direct entry spot in the Regional Games for the Arnold (Schwarzenegger) Fencing Classic in Columbus, Ohio for the Y12 Foil events.
It was a great opportunity to challenge herself and have a lot of fun hanging out with her dear friend, Samantha Howard, who had also picked up fencing with Samaria after attending that community intro camp!
a heart for the hungry
Samaria has always had a heart for those in need and one summer, she decided she wanted to do something to make a difference. After thinking through some ideas, she decided to do a neighborhood food drive with the intent to donate all collected items to a couple local organizations.
She had great success and what was originally thought up to be a one-time effort, became an annual effort year after year. She eventually got neighbor kids and many of her friends involved. To prepare the neighborhood for the food drives, she would leverage our neighborhood Facebook page and post videos to let them know when the drive would be and what they were hoping to accomplish.
When the day would come, she would head out with her wagon and start knocking on doors. When others got involved, she would break them into groups, and send them out into the neighborhood with wagons and they’d all work to collect as many non-perishable food items as possible. In addition to what they would collect door-to-door, she would also receive monetary donations to go out and purchase food items and even had people from around the country send food donations to her via Amazon.
Her efforts of collecting thousands and thousands of items over the years supported the work of HQ Drop-In Center (now AYA Youth Collective), Kids Food Basket, Northwest Food Pantry and Baxter Community Center.
changing high schools
Having attended Hudsonville Public Schools from Pre-school to 11th grade, it was clear it was time for a change. After a bunch of unexpected twists and turns, Samaria ended up enrolling at the GRPS Innovation Central Health, Science and Technology Academy.
Although it wasn’t where she originally had hoped to land, it turned out to be exactly what she needed. Innovation Central provided a diverse environment (both in student body and mind), something that was drastically missing at Hudsonville, and offered incredible opportunities to journey a unique path with intention.
Samaria’s senior year has included two AP classes, 2 online classes, and an intensive medical path including medical terminology, Anatomy, Pharmacology, and a 2-hour/day EMT Certification track. As Samaria graduates from Innovation Central, she also completes her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification. What an accomplishment as an 18 year old.
unlocking a passion for a medical career
As Samaria progressed in her training at Innovation Central, she quickly realized that a Medical path was her passion. Through her classes and unique exposure she has been challenged with, she has found her place of thriving.
Her clinical ride-alongs were an opportunity for her to see what she was made of. Her shifts were 12 hours long and a couple of them were overnight shifts. These opportunities tested her knowledge, nerves and composure, all while working through the night and staying attentive and ready to help in any and every situation as the calls came through.
Her newly realized passion for the medical space has lead Samaria to pursue a path in Nursing where she will use her EMT training to help pave the way.
what's next??
GO BOWS! Samaria has been accepted to the incredible University of Hawaii at Manoa – School of Nursing! A direct entry Nursing program in one of the most beautiful places on earth! In February, Samaria went to U of H for a campus tour and visit. This only confirmed her choice further. She could not be more excited about the fall and her new adventure!
While in school, she intends to work as an EMT in Hawaii to help pay the bills. Prior to leaving, she will be working for LIFE EMS as an EMT as well. To get ready for that transition, Samaria is currently working for LIFE EMS as a VRT (Vehicle Readiness Technician).
This has included completing driver training for Emergency Vehicles and obtaining her Chauffeur License. This sets her up to make a quick transition into the EMT role once she officially obtains her certification and license.
support samaria on her next journey!
We recognize that one of the benefits of senior graduation parties is the opportunity to show love and support through gifts, cards, and words of encouragement as they move on to the next chapter of their life.
Just because we have chosen to celebrate Samaria in this virtual setting rather than a traditional open house, we didn’t want her to miss out nor take the opportunity away from all of you to show your love and support.
So here is your chance. Below you will find the option to make a financial gift by clicking the “Send Samaria A Gift” button. If you are more of a Venmo fan, you can find Samaria at @samariajackson05 or access through the QR code. Be sure to also post your written words of congratulations, encouragement, and well wishes in the comment section below.
Thank you for taking the time to celebrate Samaria and her graduation from Grand Rapids Innovation High School! If you are here…it’s because you have been part of Samaria’s life in some way and we are so thankful for each and every one of you!
