“Ain't it funny how Life Changes” by Thomas Rhett is how Jessica would describe her life in the last year because her "life has changed over the past year with family situations and remodeling my home.” Once you get to know Jessica Lea Leighton, who is 18 years old, you will begin to realize that her family is really important to her because they have always supported her. They're very hard-working and committed, which has helped her become who she is today. One thing that she loves doing with her family is going out the Black Hills every summer for vacation. Her family consists of her dad, Clay; mom, Jarri; and siblings Cole and Elsa. Jessie is the youngest. When asked who in her family inspires her the most, she couldn't decide. Her whole family inspires her.
Jessica has never been afraid of a challenge that's why she would want to be a contestant on the T.V. show, Wipeout. When asked what character she would want to play in a movie or TV show she picked Amberley Snyder from the movie "Walk. Ride. Rodeo." because “Amberley faces many challenges but still rides horses professionally” - something Jessica would like to do. In her free time, Jessie likes to ride horses and play wheelchair basketball. Having Spina Bifida has been a challenge for Jessica because she is not able to do everything everyone else can. That, however, doesn’t stop her from doing things she loves. Jessica stated that if she had $5 million dollars to spend if five days, she would “donate it to Spina Bifida prevention research” and that if she could try anything without failing Jessica would “find a cure for Spina Bifida so newborns won't have to deal with what I went through.”
When it comes to beautiful places, Jessica would like to visit Italy. If she could have any superpower, she would choose “teleportation so I can travel the world for free.” If she had teleportation abilities, she would be sure to visit her favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. One thing that Jessica is really good at is supporting people when they need it.
One thing that Jessica learned in high school that she will carry with her is the value of saying thank you because “you get respect” by being respectful. Jessica used to work at the Community Center as an Arts and Crafts Coordinator. Her favorite part of working at the Community Center was, she said, is “the fact that I got to work with kids all day”. After high school, she plans on going to DSU to become a 6th-grade math teacher. Jessica wants to become a teacher “because she likes working with kids, being around people and helping others”. In ten years Jessica sees herself graduating from college and becoming a teacher, moving to Montana, getting married and having 4 kids. Jessica is sure to succeed in her future endeavors.