by Jeremiah Hatcher
The Paducah Sun
March 18, 2025
Used with permission.
As graduation draws near for many high school seniors across the region, Paducah Tilghman’s Jayda Reed is gearing up to walk across the stage to begin her journey toward a health care career.
Reed is a varsity volleyball player who plays middle blocker/outside hitter. She’s also a part of the Beta Club, a Class 13 Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD member, and she serves as captain leader for her grade level on the Student Equity Advisory Council. Reed is also a Tilghman Student Ambassador and an African American Leadership Club member.
“I have become that leader younger me wish she had,” Reed said.
Her current successes didn’t come as easy as she would have liked. Growing up, Reed said she would act out to seek attention and follow her friends because she felt like an “outcast.” Reed felt like she let her peers dictate her decisions and limit her capabilities during that phase. However, she realized her actions were holding her back, saying “I was only deteriorating myself while my ‘friends’ were out doing things to better themselves.”
Since then, Reed has overcome her challenges by separating herself from negative influences and putting her efforts into her classes.
“Looking back, I realized I needed that separation from the people I thought I needed around me so I could see how powerful and capable I am of success on my own,” Reed said. “As I have matured and gotten older, I have seen the difference in my circle of friends as well as my demeanor whenever I do not allow others’ opinions to cloud my own perception of myself.”
After high school, Reed plans to attend Spalding University in Louisville to pursue a Bachelor of Science in nursing. She aspires to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Reed said she wants to help people beyond their physical needs, and becoming an anesthesiologist assistant will allow her to accomplish that goal.
Reed credits Tilghman’s Innovation Hub as a reason her interest in the medical field grew. Her first nursing class at the school piqued her interest so much that she knew she wanted to follow that pathway toward a career.
“I feel an anesthesiologist has the opportunity to get to know a patient personally as well as gain that patient/provider comfortability,” Reed said. “I feel everyone desires to have [that] with their medical provider.”