Meet Jessica Wenzell, a 17 year old volunteer at our Monroe, NC program, who has been dedicating her time for 4 years now. “I always loved working with kids, I used to tutor kindergarten through middle school students and I loved sharing my passion for tennis so this was a great match,” the senior at Central Academy of technology and Art, explained.
Even though she had no previous autism experience, Jessica was able to adapt her teaching to best meet her athlete’s needs. “As long as you take steps to make sure they understand, they’re good,” Jessica, who wants to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, said.
She was able to work with the same child, Erin, for three years, which helped her build a bond with her and her parents. “I was really close with her and her mom and really enjoyed building that relationship with her.” Thanks to the time spent together, she learned a lot about Erin such as her love for the anime series. “I started watching the show and we talked about it the next time we saw each other. We also talked about school and her friends, which helped me connect with her.”
Thanks to Jessica’s dedication and care, Erin improved a lot in several areas. “At the very first session, she was very shy but at the end she was talking to all the kids, cheering them on,” she remembered fondly. “She became very social with the participants and volunteers, grew a lot with her social skills and tennis as well. She used to get very distracted but in the end, she was able to do some forehands and backhands, pay attention, and even rally a bit! After every session, I would reflect on it and it was so cool to see how much she grew over the years; I was so proud of her,” she said, beaming with joy.
As we continue to expand on what this beautiful relationship has meant to her, Jessica opens up about what Erin, and ACEing Autism as a whole, have taught her. “I learned to have a lot of patience and it really helps me in my life,” Jessica, who is now a Court Lead, confessed. “I learned to not let setbacks hinder progress so for instance, if she didn’t remember a skill from last session, we learned to work through that.”
In addition, “I’ve improved my social skills as well which has helped me to learn to work with special needs children.” As she eyes a career in nursing, volunteering for ACEing Autism has reinforced her desire to help others. “I’ve been set on that for a long time but working with kids has definitely solidified that I want to work with kids when I become a CRNA,” she mentioned when asked if she’s always wanted to be a nurse.
As we end our conversation, Jessica wants to let people know, “not be scared of what you know before or not as you’ll learn while you’re doing it. It’s a growing experience as you volunteer and you just have to know how to be adaptive to what’s to come.”
Thank you for everything you’ve done these past four years and we can’t wait to see how far you go on and off the court!
