Every spring, when you hear the encapsulating performance of singers, actors, and stage directors, a newfound appreciation for the school play is discovered. Students use their talents and strive to have their voices heard. These things are accomplished through the assistance of many, but particularly with the help of one particular student: senior Jaxon Garrison.

Senior year is usually the pinnacle of your opportunities to make an impact at your high school. Fortunately, as captain of the speech team and runner-up at state, as well as a main character in the spring play and a seasoned choir singer, Garrison has solidified his importance at South.

To be so highly considered, Garrison had to gain that motivation from trustworthy role models that he’s looked up to this season for the speech team, like the new head coach, Diego Mateo.

“He really cares about speech a lot, and I think that really makes it easy to want to be motivated and to get the team to be even better,” said Garrison.

The motivation he receives pushes him to be successful in the things he pursues. According to Garrison, he has been in musicals and plays since elementary school, even securing the main role of Peter Pan as a 5th grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.

“[Being Peter Pan] grew my confidence in not just being in front of people, but also knowing that I was good at this, and I was good at performing and public speaking,” said Garrison.

When his peers on the speech team wrote him letters for his senior sendoff, Garrison said that realizing how much people have to say about him was powerful and stuck with him, saying, “If my voice can make other people feel like their voices are also powerful, I feel like that’s the dream.”

Not only does Garrison find motivation through others; he is also great at motivating his peers. The impact he’s had in such a short amount of time should not go unnoticed. Speech team participant, Juliana Picard, is a great example of someone who has been positively impacted by Garrison’s character.

“I really realized how much he’s influenced me, and how much he’s guided me throughout my time at speech, [and] I don’t think I would have been in that place, up on that stage if it wasn’t for all of the guidance that he’s given me throughout this time,” said Picard.

To be classified as “outgoing, funny, smart, passionate, dedicated,” and much more by teammates, such as Picard, demonstrates the monumental impact he has left on his peers and his school. His state-winning speech, categorized in the S.O.S. (Special Occasion Speaking) stressed how femininity should be accepted into society instead of ostracizing it, a topic Garrison is very passionate about and one he is glad he got to speak about.

“I got to come up with the idea. I got to put in all the jokes. I believed in that speech so much, and I still believe in that topic, [and] I’m sad to not do it anymore, but I’m happy that I got the message out there because I think it’s so important. I miss that speech so much. I loved it,” said Garrison.

Public performance and making people’s days were Garrison’s equation for greatness, illustrating how you can make a big difference as a student at Plainfield South.