Staff report
Hope Jacklin, a sophomore at Estancia Valley Classical Academy, has been named a recipient of the Jiffy Lube of New Mexico 2024-2025 Teen Driver Scholarship. Jacklin, one of four students selected statewide, will receive a $1,500 scholarship to aid in her post-graduation endeavors.
The scholarship program, which has provided over $140,000 to New Mexico high schoolers since 2007, required applicants to submit a 500-word essay detailing their “inner drive.” Finalists also provided a short video to supplement their submissions. Jacklin’s essay, titled “What Drives Me?” focused on her aspiration to become a teacher and her passion for creating a positive learning environment for students.
“This passion for teaching is what drives me. I want to make a safe space for children to come and embrace learning again,” Jacklin said. “For many students, school has become a task and not an enjoyable endeavor. I want to change that.”
Jacklin’s inspiration stems from a small interaction with a young boy at a sports camp. This encounter solidified her desire to pursue teaching, where she aims to connect with students on a personal level.
“I love children, their imagination, their sweet innocence and their passion for life,” Jacklin said. “It makes my day every time I see a child’s happy, joyful spark of simply being a kid.”
With over 13 years of dance experience and four years of teaching assistance, Jacklin hopes to break down traditional educational stereotypes and foster a love of learning in her future classroom.
“I am convinced that the best teachers are those who care about me as a person, not just as another student,” Jacklin said.
She envisions a classroom where students are excited to learn and where she can make a difference.
“Everyone deserves to have the possibility to learn, to love learning and to have someone they trust to teach them. I want to be that person a student can trust, someone they can turn to in times of need,” Jacklin said. “Many teachers have deeply impacted my life; now I want to do the same for my students by giving back what I have been so generously given. I want to make a difference in the world, one small lesson at a time.”
Other scholarship recipients included Ashton Tenorio from Santa Fe Indian School, Yuri Montoya from Taos Academy, and Bridgette Weathers from Lovington High School.
“Ashton, Yuri, Bridgette, and Hope are all incredibly talented students with bright futures ahead of them, and we congratulate them on being selected as winners of our Teen Driver Scholarship,” said Richard Jones, President and CEO of Jiffy Lube of New Mexico. “We’re honored to have a hand in making sure their college careers are off to a great start, and we wish them the best as they embark on their post-graduation endeavors.”