Maggie Jenkins’s expressive personality pushes her to find community in everything she does


Senior Maggie Jenkins would reach to call herself an uninteresting person. Whether it be juggling her many hobbies or lazing around with her canine companion, Maggie does not claim to be riveting in the slightest.

However, anyone who knows her would easily debunk this ridiculous falsehood. 

It is within the halls of FHC and without that Maggie has cultivated her vast assortment of hobbies while maintaining the juggling skills to hold them all together. Even better, Maggie has learned to fit all her passions together like the pieces of a puzzle, creating refuge within everything she puts her capability into. 

Starting in her early days of high school, Maggie gained a boundless adoration for the language of ASL—or American Sign Language. From the second she stepped into room 126, Maggie knew that ASL would become one of the many fascinations on her long and growing list. Yet, she could have never predicted the imaginative and open outlet that the language would provide.

For example, the performance of expressives—creative productions put on entirely in ASL—always brings Maggie back to center and pushes her to reflect on her love for the language.

“[Expressives] just make you want to be creative and do well in that class,” Maggie said. “You just have to be bold; you have to be out there.”

Furthermore, it is more than boldness and confidence that creates something impactful within ASL. For Maggie, there has always been a draw towards the humanitarian side as well. With a community of those learning and using sign worldwide, Maggie feels privileged to factor into the bigger picture.


— Maggie Jenkins

“There’s a whole community within sign language,” Maggie said, “and it’s so amazing to have a little piece of that community when you sign.”

Yet, Maggie’s search for togetherness does not stop with ASL. There has always been something about the company of the animal kingdom that has soothed Maggie’s nerves, bringing her to a sense of spiritual nirvana. 

“I love being around animals because they just provide companionship,” said Maggie, who finds the most love for her Beagle-German Shepherd mix named Jade, “and they honestly just bring me so much joy.”

Furthermore, this passion for creatures has created a community for Maggie within the world of animal biology and science, the same topics she will be studying at Colorado State University come high school graduation. Like all of her other pursuits, Maggie intends to bring 110 percent to her new home and continue discovering the little ways in which she can build a community. 

“I love the West, and Colorado has so many fun things you can do there,” Maggie said. “And honestly, [it’s] just a change; [it’s] something different than Michigan.”

Still, out of all the factors that make Maggie a divinely interesting person, her involvement in the theater department is the connection she feels most tethered to. Whether it be the people who surround her or the ease with which she can be herself, theater is a perfect example of how Maggie’s expressive personality can make any room feel a bit more golden.  

And like with all of her enterprises, there is an enigmatic and bright group of people waiting for her, ready to return the energy in full. 

“The want to embrace yourself is something that everyone in [the theater] community has, and it makes it so much easier to be friends with people,” Maggie said. “[You just need to] own your craziness and be wild and have fun.”