BY BRIAN T. SMITH

BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

EMORY, Va. — Lynne Wampler had been discussing the ins and outs of everything positive, remarkable and inspiring about Patrick Henry senior Jessie Morgan for nearly five minutes.

Then Wampler hit on something. So she paused, rolled it over in her head for a few seconds, and then quickly decided that what she had just said made absolute, perfect sense. So Wampler expounded.

"Jessie really and truly is what the American Dream is all about," said Wampler, an Advanced Placement English teacher at Patrick Henry. "She knows the dream is not arriving there; the dream is the journey. … The American Dream is not two cars, a house or money.

"The American Dream is a journey that we take. And I feel like Jessie embodies that. I do. I really do. Her work ethic, and her thirst for knowledge and just her love of learning is the embodiment of the American Dream."

That, in a nutshell, is Jessie Morgan.

It’s what has made Morgan so special to her Patrick Henry classmates and teammates – Morgan can’t walk down a hall without a row of smiles and a chorus of "Hi’s" and "Hello’s" showering her steps.

It’s what pushed Morgan in the classroom, where she ranks in the top one percent of her class, holds a 4.0 grade-point average, received an Advanced Studies diploma and capped off her senior year by taking and standing out in several advanced college-level classes at Emory & Henry.

It’s also what pushed Morgan on the field, in the gym and on the track, allowing her to accumulate 13 varsity letters in cross country, track and field, basketball and soccer, while also earning a total of six all-district selections and five all-region honors.

And it’s what pushed Morgan to consistently serve her community, volunteer and give back, as she actively participated in a long list of community-based programs, while also trying to enjoy life as a modern American teenager and keep a level head.

American Dream: meet Jessie Morgan.

"Jessie always wants to learn more," Wampler said. "And it’s not that she’s wanted to just get good grades. It’s because she was really interested in the learning, the knowledge.

"I mean, she is really interested and really curious. Not because [she would say] ‘This makes me feel so much better.’ But because she has a genuine, genuine love of learning."

And while Morgan’s dynamic, diverse resume is startling, it’s her others-before-self outlook and attitude in life, and her general openness to whatever the day brings that most inspires those who know her.

Morgan referred to herself as a free spirit, someone who lived life to the fullest and tried to accomplish everything she could at least once. And, yes, Morgan said she’s a dreamer. But her dreams are undoubtedly based and grounded in reality.

"I am just the type of person where if I’m not constantly busy, constantly having something to do, then it just bugs me," Morgan, 18, said. "I just like to be busy. And I like being involved in everything."

To Wampler, Morgan’s willingness to become involved and rise to the top, while also helping out others when needed, is the key.

Wampler knows that grade-point averages, resumes, awards and honors only go so far in the real world.

Morgan is a change-maker. A self-started movement. And she should be making a difference in the world we all inhabit very, very soon.

"Jessie is helpful to society," Wampler said. "She’s someone that is a giver, not a taker. That’s her role. She will contribute to society."

btsmith@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2569