DURHAM, N.C. — Elizabeth Jenkins El is stepping up!


What You Need To Know

  • Elizabeth Jenkins El is the Spectrum News High School Scholar of the Week

  • Jenkins El overcame a speech impediment by focusing on the art of step

  • She will major in pharmacy or biomolecular engineering with a minor in language, and she’s trying to choose between UNC Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins

Stepping helps the senior from J.D. Early College overcome adversity.

“I had a speech impediment growing up. It made me very reluctant to speak up, but when you step, you have to be loud, you have to be proud, you have to yell it out,” Jenkins El said.

Jenkins El’s weakness became her greatest strength after six years of speech therapy.

“After speech therapy, I was in step, my coach made sure that I had large parts where I was up in front of groups of people, festivals, talking, saying, 'Hi, my name's Lizzy,'” Jenkins El explained.

Step is another form of expression. It helps the 17-year-old inspire other young girls at Central Park School for Children Middle School in Durham, where Jenkins volunteers as the assistant step coach. It's the same school that introduced her to the art.

“I followed what made me happy. I came back to this middle school because it was a big part of my life, the kids make me very happy and they’re so nice. They’re so kind. Everything that I do is for a reason, and it keeps me going,” Jenkins El stated.

So it’s no surprise that Jenkins El’s guidance counselor Jequita Walker nominated her for Spectrum News' High School Scholar of the Week Award.

She has a 4.65 GPA and is in the top 10% in her senior class, a member of the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program and the Science Olympiad, National Honor Society and College Prep Club.

“It means a lot. When I nominated her, I knew that she was worthy of receiving the award, and I knew that she has put in a lot of work and has been very dedicated to her educational success,” Walker said.

Jenkins El credits her educational success to step practice, where she learned how to chase her dreams and conquer her fear of speech.

“The biggest lesson that I want people to know from my story is no matter what is happening, it’s going to get better. There is no reason for you to give up,” Jenkins El said.

Jenkins El will major in pharmacy or biomolecular engineering with a minor in language. She’s trying to choose between UNC Chapel Hill and Johns Hopkins.

All year long, Spectrum News is sharing the stories of exceptional high school students across North Carolina.