Entries by Justina Janas

One-on-One with an Olympic Gold Medalist

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Picture of Jamie Anderson, Olympic Medalist and Visions Grad

One-on-One with an Olympic Gold Medalist

American snowboarder and proud Visions alum Jamie Anderson made international headlines this year for being the best in the world at what she does, freestyle snowboarding. The 23-year-old Lake Tahoe native credits her flexible schedule as a Visions student for allowing her the opportunity to constantly be on the mountain growing up. Jamie recently won the gold medal in women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and is a leader in her sport, having many other wins and medals under her belt.

We had a chance to talk to the free-spirited, sweet, down-to-earth athlete one-on-one, where she talked a lot about gratitude, her love for the sport and trusting that you can do whatever you put your mind to if you have faith in yourself.

Talk to me about how you got your start in snowboarding? What sparked your interest? I was very fortunate to grow up in Lake Tahoe, and spent a lot of time out in nature and the mountains. Naturally, I was always drawn to snow sports and exploring outside. When I was 9-years-old I got my first snowboard, and I’ve been riding and loving it ever since!

What are some of your favorite memories from your childhood in the Lake Tahoe area? I loved camping! My parents took our family on a lot of cool trips. We were always exploring the area and learning about our natural and local environment.

When did you realize that snowboarding could actually be a legitimate profession for you? Did you ever imagine you would be where you are today? I never imagined I’d be where I am today. I just really loved snowboarding. It was one of my first passions in life, and although I thought I wanted to be a pro-snowboarder when I grew up, I didn’t have any idea it would bring the opportunities it has. For all that it’s given me, I am neon’s grateful!

What goes through your mind when you are at the top of a mountain about to compete? I visualize my run quite a bit. I listen to music and dance to release any nerves and tension. And yeah, just go have fun!

You seem very level-headed. How do you keep your feet on the ground and stay humble? Growing up in a big family, and having down-to-earth parents plays a huge role in the person I am today. I was always taught to be humble and remember how grateful I am for all that I have. And I truly am grateful for everything I’ve been given and all the amazing opportunities in this life.

You just won the GOLD MEDAL in Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Congratulations! What is your reaction? It’s unbelievable! I feel like I’m still taking it all in. It’s been the craziest year of my life by far. I was born into the year of the horse, in Chinese symbolism, and just before the Olympics we went into the year of the horse. I felt like this year was truly about coming into my power and working hard towards my dreams and goals!

This was the inaugural year for your sport in the Olympics. How amazing does it feel to be such a huge part of that? It feels great. I have heard that people just loved watching the slopestyle event, so I’m really happy to be a part of that push for freestyle snowboarding!

You were the favorite to win the gold in your event the whole time. How did you deal with all of that pressure? By living in the “NOW.” (The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, is an amazing book!) Taking everything moment by moment. It’s a lot to take in and a lot of stress and pressure. I truly had to practice not getting too far ahead. I knew I had set the goal to do my very best and work hard to feel my strongest leading up to the event. Then I had to let go and trust. I believe that everything happens for a reason, even though sometimes it’s difficult to see.

The tricks you pull off in the air are pretty amazing and you make it look so easy. How hard is it to do what you do? It’s like anything you do in life. It’s challenging, but it’s possible! If you work hard and believe in yourself, you can do anything!

I heard you say in another interview that you weren’t always a super patriotic person. Now that you have had the chance to represent your country so well, how do you feel about that? I was very happy to go to the Olympics representing our country. I just acknowledge how much I love our whole world, everywhere on Earth, all the nations. There is so much beauty everywhere. I don’t like the separation vibration from country to country. At the end of the day, we are all ONE. One love.

Your competitors call you an athlete who is a leader in the sport. What does that mean to you? That means a lot to me. I remember being the young one looking up to a lot of the athletes, and now I do play a positive role being a leader. I want to represent myself, our sport and our environmental awareness, in a positive light. I’m doing the best I can. No one is perfect, but I’m learning more and more every day, and always growing …we all are!

I’m sure there will be many opportunities for you beyond snowboarding when you get back to the United States! Are you excited to come back to U.S. and experience all of that love? I am ready for whatever the universe brings me!

What do your family and friends say about your success? They must be so proud of you. I feel so fortunate for my family and close friends! They truly know what hard work, passion, strength and determination it took for me to get to where I am. Without their love and support I’m not sure all of this would have been possible! We need each other to reach our goals. We need to support all of our friends, family, competitors, co-workers, and anyone else to truly be the best person we can be. If you can’t help someone, at least do no harm. Let’s come together to be our greatest, and really want to see everyone succeed.

You were a Visions In Education student. How was the school able to support you in your educational goals and life dreams? I did home school most of my education, and it was amazing to be able to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle. I was always outside playing and doing sports. When I got into snowboarding at age nine, that was my new favorite thing to do, and I was on the mountain every single day. I was doing homework at night. During high school I was traveling quite a bit and had a hard time getting my schoolwork done on time, but my teacher Rosie was absolutely amazing and helped me through all of my schooling and truly understood the lifestyle I was living. And she totally believed in me to be my best!

Is there anything else that you would like to say or that I may have missed? Always believe in yourself! You are capable of anything you believe in. Life is precious, so have fun, and enjoy every moment. And more then anything TRUST your intuition; it will always guide you through this life … peace & love.

All pictures in this article were used with the permission of © Jamie Anderson. For more on Jamie Anderson, visit her website.

Students Find Their Voice

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Image of students at a Find Your Voice Writing Group

Students Find Their Voice

As 17-year-old Jarreau Hudson sat in class he put his head down and had no interest in talking with other students, certainly no interest in reading what he just wrote down as part of a prompt exercise to the rest of his class. This was the old Jarreau, two semesters ago. A year later, the confident young man on the verge of graduating from high school stands in front of a crowd of more than 100 as he transforms himself into the characters in his story, reading it out loud to an expectant crowd.

It’s a familiar story to many students enrolled in the 16-week writing class at Visions In Education. The unconventional class, in conjunction with 916 Ink, the premiere literacy organization in Sacramento, focuses on building courage in students to share their unique voices and improve their writing skills.

“We have visiting writers from the community that come in,” lead English curriculum teacher Hilary Brugger said. “I think there is a blossoming of their writing, but the more profound impact for a lot of our kids is a socio-psychological one. Their confidence really changes and they see themselves differently.”

The class begins like this: About 30 kids sitting around a large table, gazing at each other, some recognizing friends and others not knowing a face in the room. But by class number two, kids start opening up. They talk to each other and begin feeling more comfortable writing down on paper whatever creative words pop up in their head. By class number three and beyond, a deeper change will often emerge. These students begin feeling a little bit better about sharing their stories with the class, because they never get any negative feedback. It’s all positive reaction. That’s a rule.

“No one is allowed to ask any questions about your writing or say anything negative,” 10th grade Visions student Radhika O’Conner said. “They are only allowed to tell you what they really liked about it. So that helps narrow down what you are good at. Once you’re feeling good about it, you can look at it and say, ‘yeah, I don’t like this part,’ because you know the rest of it is good.”

This semester is the fourth time the writing class has been offered at Visions. It’s so well liked that the school is offering it in multiple locations throughout its nine county service area, and for different levels of writers. Its popularity might have something to do with the fact that at the end of the class, the students have their work published in a tangible book, bound with a beautifully designed cover by a graphic artist, and then they hold a book release party. At the event some of the students get up and read their work in front of an audience filled with their peers, parents, teachers and other guests.

“I was nervous when I was sitting down because I was towards the end,” 10th grade Visions student Jennifer Tickner said about waiting her turn to get up and read. “But once I got up there I felt ok reading because it was a lot of positive energy and so that helped. I read a poem. It was about the experience of this class. We each get at least two writings published in the book.”

“This is the third book that we have published,” Brugger said. “916 Ink publishes student writers because they want to celebrate literacy with our students. If we didn’t have the end product for our classes, it would just have a very different feel. Students are really invested in what they write and they care a lot more about where their semi colons go when there is going to be a real and true audience for their books and they will be sold in book stores.”

Every time class is held, there is a representative from 916 Ink amongst the students. In the advanced class this year, inspirator Ryan Cicak, a published writer and poet, joins the kids and makes sure he not only gives feedback, but also shares some of his work too.

“A lot of the stuff that I write tends to be sort of pop culture oriented or weird,” Cicak said. “I wrote a zombie poem that they actually used for teaching when it comes to poetry so I think I kind of have that bridge between their age group and that of the teachers.”

By the end of the four-month class it’s a community of writers that sit in that room together sharing stories and laughing, knowing their work is valued. It’s that same group who come together at the B Street Theatre, in Sacramento, where they hold their book release party and enjoy the company of their friends and family. On February 3 this year, the book “Stumbling through the Stars” is the latest Visions-produced book to make its debut. Students and teachers alike read their works from a podium on a stage filled with bright lights.

“I think teachers going up to read is good because it models the behavior you want your students to have,” credentialed teacher Kristen Wetzel said. “It also leaves you vulnerable and says that you are willing to take the chance and read what you have written as well as the students. It’s important for them to see you taking the risk and being brave too.”

Jarreau Hudson was nervous to share his story at first that Monday night, but he dug deep, ‘took the yes’ mentality of just going for it and shined.

“Probably, if I read this the first day I would have read normally and quickly,” Hudson said. “I am going to leave this class with more confidence and now I can share what I have with others even if they don’t like it. I can take that and make it better and then they will like it as well.”

You can purchase “Stumbling through the Stars” and previous student-produced books on the 916 Ink website. It’s a well-designed place where student writing is featured, contests are held and students and others alike can express their writing online.