Jadyn
Hefley
Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle.
-Daisaku Ikeda
Get to Know Me!
Hi! My name is Jadyn Hefley, and I was born and raised in Indiana; I grew up in a town about 30 minutes west of Indianapolis. I was a student of the Plainfield Indiana Community School Corporation from 3rd grade up until my senior year. I've played many sports throughout my life including volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, softball, track and field, pickleball and even tae-kwan-doe! But from a young age, basketball was always the sport I truly loved. I played basketball from when I was 7 years old up until I graduated from Plainfield High School in 2023.
I came in as a freshman to IU Indianapolis August of 2023 unsure of the major I wanted to pursue. However, the one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to help people physically, emotionally, and mentally. I just didn't realize at the time that would be pursuing a career in Occupational Therapy.​​​​​
My family is extremely important to me; they are my number one support system. My parents have supported me through every journey of my life. They encouraged me to try new things and to not be afraid of failure. I truly would not be where I am today without them. Whether it was in the classroom, in the gym, at my job, or even just in my everyday life, they always pushed me to be the best I can be. They taught me lessons from a young age that have been carried with me up to now. One lesson in particular is being afraid of failure is not a reason to run away from something, and failing something is not a reason to give up. That is something I remind myself of everyday in college. There will be times that I am faced with challenges that may seem impossible. That is not a reason to run from it, it is just a reason to work harder. There will be times that I do fail. This is not a reason to give up and chase a different dream, it is a reason to learn from that failure and keep moving forward.
From when I first expressed my passion in pursuing my dream career, they have never failed to support me. They continue to encourage and support me and I am very grateful for them.
I was very involved with sports throughout my youth up until I graduated high school. Unfortunately, I learned that the more involved with sports you are, the more you become prone to injury.
Part of being an athlete is accepting the risk of potentially being injured. Like many other athletes, I have suffered from numerous injuries over the years including torn ACL, sprained ankles, concussions, pulled hamstrings, fractures, ongoing knee issues, and of course bumps, bruises, bloody noses, jammed fingers, etc. These injuries were not only physically tasking, but mentally tasking as well. However, they played a big part in shaping me into who I am today. Those injuries taught me I will face obstacles in life that I cannot avoid. So, instead of avoiding the hardships and obstacles that come my way, I learned to embrace them and deal with them. Learning to embrace challenges has made me more determined, motivated, and resilient.
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The sport that I was involved with the longest was basketball. It has played a significant role in shaping me into the person I am today. I have met so many influential people throughout the years and I have been taught so many lessons. Basketball has shown me a lot about what I am physically capable along with what I am mentally capable of.
Many important mentors throughout my life are the coaches I've had. One coach specifically that comes to mind when I think about my most influential mentors is my basketball and track assistant coach. Not only was he been around for the two sports I played in high school, but he was also my teacher for Algebra 2. I have never met someone to have such a positive and uplifting outlook on life. He was always there to support me: through injuries, a bad game, a bad race, not doing well on a test, and even playing my last game as senior and not sure what the future held for me. He was always there to remind me that I am more than just points on a scoreboard, times in race, and grades on a test. He was always there to cheer me on, even when I didn't feel like I deserved to be cheered on. I will forever be grateful for how he helped shape me into the person I am today.