University High Grad Thrives in Close-Knit Environment

For Jessica Millender, family is everything.

As a top graduate of Ferndale’s , Millender is eager to continue her education in the intimate confines of the University of Michigan Dearborn campus, while she can live at home and benefit from the nurturing environment of each.

“University High was not even like a high school,” said Millender, 18, of Detroit. “It was like a family. It is a very close-knit community. Some think of that as a disadvantage, but I found that the closeness of the school enhanced the quality of my education.”

Millender hopes her experience as a top scholar and National Honor Society president will help her find success as she moves on to U of M Dearborn. She hasn’t firmly decided on a field of study but would like to pursue a social science, such as psychology, with a minor in English, she said.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing with a small, community-type school,” said Millender. “I see that at Dearborn, everyone seems to know their professors on a personal level, and I know this is right for me.”

Working closely with and gaining feedback from teachers is a skill Millender honed at University High School, said Katie Sophiea Jeffrey, English and ACT prep teacher at University High.

“Jessica quickly established herself as one of the top five students I have ever taught, mostly because of her stellar work ethic,” said Jeffrey. “She’s a natural writer, but she always asked for feedback and always took the time to do revisions to improve her craft. Jessica is invested in her learning, and that passion is really exciting to see as a teacher.”

In addition to developing the discipline to revise and edit, Millender said she learned the value of gaining others’ opinions and distancing herself from her written work, she said.

“I’m so passionate about my writing, but I learned that it’s not necessarily a positive thing to put yourself into your work too much,” she said. “When you are too close, you don’t realize its flaws. Input and feedback from others are so important to the writing process, and this was a good lesson that I can apply to other areas of life, too.”

Other favorite subjects for Millender included world history, biochemistry and forensics, where she pored over case studies and related them to the larger world.

“Others thought what we learned was disturbing and creepy, but I thought it was interesting and exciting,” said Millender. “We have to realize we live in the real world, and it was an eye-opener. And I learned that what they show on television shows like CSI is all glossy, but fake with regard to real forensics procedures.”

Millender’s leadership abilities helped her reach success with DECA, an organization that prepares students for careers in the marketing and management industries through meetings, conferences and competitions. While participating in a DECA competition in Grand Rapids, Millender worked in a team of three students and presented to judges a business strategy for an after-school club to keep students off the streets.

When a University High girls basketball team didn’t pan out due to lack of participants, Millender instead worked as a scorekeeper for the boys basketball team. “I was happy about that, helping out even if I didn’t get to play,” said Millender.

Her positive attitude and flexibility have made her a delight from the time she was a child, according to Millender’s mother, Barbara Thompson.

“Her whole life, she has been a joy,” said Thompson. “I’m truly proud of her because she has been really helpful with me at home as I have dealt with health challenges.”

Thompson, 60, a retired social worker, has suffered two bouts of cancer and said she appreciates Millender’s commitment to her and her husband, James Millender, 64, an engineer who has retired from General Motors.

“Jessica is always thinking, reading and analyzing,” said Thompson. “Although my husband would love for her to become an engineer, we are happy to have her decide on her own what career to follow, knowing she will be happy and self-sufficient. She is motivated to do well.”

This summer, Millender plans to work, learn to drive and prepare for the fall and her experience at U of M Dearborn.

“Now it’s time for the big leagues,” she said. “I’m so ready for it.”