“I love being involved around Sahuaro…it can be a lot to juggle, but overall, I have had nothing but positive experiences.” Senior Jasline (Jas) Gomez is known to be very involved at school. Jas is the Student Body Corresponding Secretary and expresses how much she enjoys being on Student Council. “Student Council has taught me a numerous amount of lessons, but I think the most important is the importance of community service. As Corresponding Secretary, it is my job to provide community service opportunities to my peers in Stuco.” Jasline finds great joy in giving back to her community. She is a representative and volunteer at the Alzheimer’s Association. “I volunteer with Alzheimer’s Association to help those with Alzheimer’s and their families. My Nana has dementia, so I have a broad understanding of what it is like to take care of someone with a disability. As a volunteer, I help plan and run fundraising events such as the Tucson Alzheimer’s Walk. I also do community work at my church by serving and helping people walk in the light of God. It makes me feel so good to be able to help people and do my part as a community member.”

Jas also has a love for reading. She enjoys reading so much that she helped create Sahuaro’s Book Club alongside librarian Ms. Krieg. Jasline is the current president of the club and expressed how much fun she has at Book Club. “Book Club is not only a place where we get to read and share our love of books with each other, but we also get to let creativity flow and work on community projects. In our last meeting, we all painted Ben’s Bells Coins to give back to the community. Getting to see everyone in the club be so creative and have a fun time all while doing something positive was a great experience. Book club has given me leadership experience, fundraising experience, and has shown me that you can be creative in so many different ways and aspects.”

Jasline does so much at school, but what about outside of it? One of her favorite hobbies is cooking and baking. “I love to cook and bake for my family and friends. It’s a fun time for me and tastes good to them. It’s a win-win situation. Although I do love cooking, baking is where I shine. One of my favorite things to make is dark chocolate brownies and they are always a fan favorite.” Jas is also one that likes to stay active. She has played tennis for 6 years and loves to practice in her free time.

“I started playing because my stepmom introduced me to the sport. I began to grow a strong love for it and played it as both a hobby and competitively. I played only outside of school until freshman year when I started playing for Sahuaro. I played for Sahuaro up until my junior year, but decided to stop so that I could take time to work. I still play tennis today and still feel the intensity when I step onto the court.”

I have gotten the honor to know Jasline Gomez and call her my best friend. Jas is someone who is incredibly loving and giving to not only those around her, but complete strangers. Although she is always busy, she always makes it a point to give back to her friends, family, and community. Jas is the kind soul that we need to see more of in today’s world.