Plainfield Senior Overcomes Challenges & Inspires Through Dance & Dedication
Plainfield High School senior Jacey Lowe is dedicated, determined and pushing the limits despite challenges — and now she’s bringing home top awards for the school district too.
For starters, she’s an award-winning dancer who participates in both competitive studio dance and on the Plainfield High School dance team.
“I like to do all of it, but specifically lyrical,” Lowe says. “It’s like a mix between contemporary and ballet. I like the freedom it gives me — not only within myself but with others. At dance, I’m in my safe space. I can be myself. If you’re having a rough day, you can dance it out. I think it’s very freeing.”
Lowe is involved in a number of clubs too: National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), ASL Club, Junior Optimist and more.
“I enjoy getting involved,” she says. “With National Honor Society, for example, we do 40 hours of volunteer work in the community. I would have never done some of the things I have without the club, and I really enjoy it. I like talking to people and hearing their stories.”
She may sound like a typical high school student with a friendly personality and impressive dance skills, but Lowe has her own personal challenges. She is hard of hearing. Diagnosed in the first grade, Lowe has moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.
“It’s something I’ve had as long as I can remember,” she says. “We’re not really sure what the cause is, but it can make things a lot harder — especially if I don’t have my hearing aids in. There are certain sounds I can’t hear. Words like ‘pie’ and ‘pike’ — I can totally miss the ‘k.’ My hearing teacher explains it like my brain has to work twice as hard.”
She may be working harder, but her aspirations continue to inspire others. Lowe is interested in the medical field. She loves science, and perhaps the most unique club she’s joined is geared toward her future.
When Plainfield High School teacher Elanie Townsend, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) educator and HOSA Club adviser, met Lowe, it was during her sophomore year in a PLTW biomedical sciences class.
“I thought she was a lovely person: she’s sweet, smiles all the time, and I noticed she really paid attention in class,” Townsend says. “After the first month, I realized it’s because she’s reading my lips. She never asks for help, she’s never saying ‘poor me.’ I’m sure she goes home and has to work double time on schoolwork. She just rises above it all.”
During Lowe’s junior year, she joined the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Club and Townsend, as her club sponsor, was once again impressed by her positive attitude.
“The club works with younger students to get them involved in STEM-related activities. We will go to an elementary school and we’ll do science experiments,” Lowe says. “We are also provided resources for things we are interested in, such as getting CPR and First Aid training and learning other skills.”
This spring, 117 students attended the HOSA state competition. They could choose up to three categories in which to compete, and Lowe chose Life Support Skills and Interview Skills.
“In the Life Support Skills competition, it’s scenario-based, so I had to know adult CPR, infant CPR and all the different categories in First Aid,” she says. “You don’t know what you’re going to do until you walk in.”
She says she thought Interview Skills would be easy and quickly found that it was not.
“Prior to the competition, I sent in a résumé and an application for a ‘job.’ I did a physical therapy internship application,” she says. “We write a personal statement about it and submit it all ahead of time. When it was my turn, they asked me questions about my strengths and skills that set me apart and what I hope to learn from the experience.”
Surprising herself and the rest of the team, Lowe took home first place in both categories, making her eligible for the HOSA International in Nashville, Tennessee, this past summer.
More than 16,000 participants from all over the world picked one category to compete in, and Lowe again chose Interview Skills.
She didn’t get to stay to see the results. Lowe had to leave early to attend her national dance competition. She and her mother were in the car, driving through the mountains of Tennessee while the rest of the HOSA group stayed behind, waiting to hear results.
“She won first place in the international competition too,” Townsend says. “Our team was going ballistic. Jacey is our first-ever international champion at Plainfield High School.”
Lowe was receiving the news in the car. She knew when she made the top 10, then the top three.
“I literally screamed,” Lowe says. “My mom screamed. We pulled over on the side of the road on a mountain, got out of the car and started jumping up and down. It was an incredible win for me, but it was a win for Plainfield too, and I couldn’t have done it without Mrs. Townsend and Mr. [AJ] McAdams.”
Townsend said she has taught for 22 years and sees Lowe as one of the “rare ones.”
“I want people to understand that it’s limitless what they can do,” Townsend says. “It doesn’t matter what challenge is dropped in front of you. You can’t let it stop you. Jacey’s success says regardless of the challenges you may have, it’s what you do with it that matters. Jacey will be successful in absolutely anything. The way she takes on life with grace and determination — she won’t fail.”
Lowe says she’s always lived her life this way. She’s recognized that many want to make things easier for her — give her more time on an assignment or make exceptions they wouldn’t normally make.
“I want to feel normal,” Lowe says. “I don’t see myself as different compared to anyone else. I don’t want to be treated differently. It’s hard, but I just do it. I’m not going to let it define me or use it as an excuse. Even when you’re intimidated or scared, take the leap. It can really turn out to be a great thing for you.”
