Blog: From Leadership Roles to Future Career Goals: How Father Ryan Shaped My Path

By Jessie Henry '25

Jessie Henry’s impressive list of leadership activities is fueled by her drive, curiosity, and joy in helping others. She is Captain of Norwood House, Yearbook editor, Head Eucharistic Minister on the Student Ministry Team, a Student Ambassador, Peer Mentor, Basketball Manager, and Relay For Life Co-chair with McKinney Lynn ’25.

No stranger to making an impact, last November, she and McKinney led 40 Father Ryan students in organizing another successful Relay For Life event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society and to honor cancer survivors and fighters. Their leadership raised $142,693 for cancer research, bringing Father Ryan’s cumulative total raised for Relay For Life to more than $2 million as the largest, student-led Relay For Life team in the world.

As Jessie prepares to graduate and attend Auburn University and major in Education, we asked her to reflect on what she’s gained as a leader and the impact of the many opportunities she has had to lead and serve.

 

In middle school at Saint Matthew School, I joined a few clubs, but the only real leadership role I had was on student council. Going into high school, I knew I wanted to lead at Father Ryan. My first experience was as the Norwood House Freshman Delegate through our House System. Each House has two leadership levels for incoming students: the elected Freshman Delegate for each House and the elected Freshman Delegate for each Mentor Group.

The  Freshmen Delegates organize the House System Canned Food Drive during Catholic Schools Week. I oversaw collecting the food for Norwood and worked with my other House members to strategically get the most canned goods each day. That year, Norwood won it all.

Ever since, I have held a House Leadership role, from sophomore year as Operations Coordinator and junior year Vice-captain to Captain of Norwood House as a senior. Being a leader is about listening, delegating roles, and sharing responsibility, not taking control of everything. The collaborative style of leadership fits my personality. I am an outgoing and friendly person.

 

Leading Through Service

I joined the Relay For Life Committee as a sophomore. Every person knows and loves someone who has been affected by cancer. Service is so important to me, and I really want to make a difference. Plus, my oldest brother Steven ’14 had been Relay For Life Co-chair, and I liked the idea of a family legacy.

As a junior, I was the Head of Sponsorship and Fundraising. Leadership roles often include responsibilities you may never have considered, asking for donations being one of them. While I felt underqualified when I first started soliciting Relay For Life donations, taking the risk was definitely worth it. I gained real-world experience speaking with businesses about sponsorship. Last year, we got 20 sponsors, the most we had ever received since the pandemic.

When I became Co-chair, I thought I could take on much of the committee work, but I learned that it is important to delegate. Other people may do it better than I can, and that is a good thing. The stakes are high at Father Ryan with the Relay For Life. We are the largest student-led team in the world. No pressure there! Putting the group ahead of yourself is another lesson I have learned as a leader. 

 

The Value of Personal Connections and Accountability in Leadership

Father Ryan’s strong community is a great environment to become a leader. We work with the other House leaders, which helps us collaborate on House-wide programs. With the Relay Committee, we are all close friends. It is important to have fun, but we also hold each other accountable and remind one another of our responsibilities to the project.

My leadership and service have deepened my peer relationships and helped in the classroom. I speak with students who are not in my grade or House and to teachers all the time about programs and service projects. We work hard toward the same goal for a higher purpose, not for our own goals and ambitions. We know we can count on one another, as leaders and friends.

 

Leadership at Father Ryan: A Focus on Service, Growth, and Faith

Father Ryan’s focus on faith has certainly shaped me as a leader. When I was in parochial middle school, my faith was not the most important thing to me. In my freshman Theology class, I learned the Bible stories, and each year, I have learned more about the Catholic faith and the teachings of the church in my required Theology classes.

Because Father Ryan is such a welcoming community, you are accepted for who you are, whether or not you are Catholic. Everyone is welcome, so they feel like your family. You can be yourself, and you are given so many opportunities to grow and learn from your failures. With all the opportunities to lead and learn at Father Ryan, we are not penalized for making mistakes, instead, we are encouraged to grow from them. It goes back to the Catholic teaching about forgiving others.

As a leader, listening to and respecting other’s ideas is key. It is so important for my generation to be open to other beliefs and perspectives. Father Ryan helps us learn this by caring about each student. I feel this in my House Mentor Group of 20 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. These are people I would normally not see every day if we did not have a House System, including a fellow senior who has never been in a class with me, but through Norwood, we have become best friends. The main point of our House System is to make a bigger school feel small, and it has absolutely done that for me.

 

Building Confidence and Gaining Real-World Experience Through Leadership

My leadership has kept my plate full, but it has been worth it. I have met so many people, made many friends through leadership, and learned how to take risks and push myself. One way I stretched beyond my comfort zone was by leading two faith retreats. I am very grateful to Father Ryan for introducing me to the student-led junior and senior faith retreats, SEARCH for Christian Maturity Retreat, organized by the Diocese of Nashville.

At Father Ryan, we learn about the term ‘servant leadership.’ To me, it means that you are putting others before yourself and paying it forward. I don’t define myself as a leader. I think of what I can do to help my community. I do it to make a difference, to have fun, and to help people.

 

Discovering Passion and Purpose Through Leadership at Father Ryan

Several of my leadership roles were goals I set as a freshman or sophomore, while others are ones I stumbled into because I have an open mind and truly believe that you get out what you put into it. If you like something, stick with it because it will help you shape yourself and your future. 

When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a nurse. Now, after my leadership roles, I realize I have a passion for teaching and leading others. I may become a middle or high school teacher or an athletic trainer. Whatever I decide, I know that I want to have the same impact on others as my Father Ryan teachers have on all of us here.

When I get to college, I am not sure yet how I will spend my free time, but I know it will involve community service. That is something that Father Ryan has instilled in me for life. The school has also given me a community I can lean on whenever life gets a little hard. It has also shown me just how valuable it is to be in a supportive community. All my leadership has been with a team, with different people who have varied priorities and personalities. Even if you do not think you fit into that leadership position at first, you will grow into your own leadership style.

 

About Jessie Henry

One of three siblings to attend Father Ryan (Steven ’14 and Matthew ’18), the Henry family discovered Father Ryan when they moved to Nashville from Florida during Steven’s freshman year. When it came time for Jessie to pick a school, Father Ryan was the only one she considered.

She jumped into leadership immediately as a freshman as Norwood House Freshman Delegate. Throughout her Father Ryan career, Jessie has held numerous leadership roles in a variety of activities. This fall, she heads to Auburn University where she hopes to continue the level of impact she has had on Father Ryan.