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by Athena De Groff
Fear can cause an individual to stunt their own growth, letting self-doubt get in the way of progression. This was the case for NS junior Paige Ison.
“I think just when I was younger, I thought that so many people were better than me,” Ison said. “Like my sisters were better than me at sports, so I couldn’t do it because I didn’t want to fail and be worse than them. Or I was just like, ‘No, I’m not going to go hang out with them because they’ll think I’m weird,’ or ‘I’m not going to do that because I know I just won’t do well.’ Just always looking at the negative and everything that could go wrong.”
Although Ison has had a fear of failure throughout aspects of her life, she has not let that stop her from accomplishing great things, and discovering new passions and skills in life.
“I used to be scared of horses because I got thrown off once when I was little,” Ison said. “Then a couple of summers ago, I decided to get back on, and so now I go horse riding a lot.”
Ison also dedicates much of her time to her love for visual arts. She has been interested in art for her whole life and started taking it seriously right around high school. Last month, she was chosen as the Art Sterling Scholar for the 2021-22 school year.
“I feel like I’ve always done art, like doodling and stuff, forever,” Ison said. “It all started when I was younger, sitting at my siblings’ games. I didn’t want to watch them play sports––so I’d just sit there and doodle.”
NS Art Teacher Paul Allred is excited to see what Ison accomplishes as the Art Sterling Scholar this next year.
“Paige is a great art student; she works hard and really tries to do her best,” Allred said. “She’s very talented, but she’s also one that even though she has talent, she tries hard to make it a better skill; like she really wants to achieve great things.”
In addition to art, Ison enjoys fishing, singing, yearbook, and playing Wii Sports.
“Wii sports, man. I am a champion. I’m so good––all gold. I’m so good,’’ Ison said.
When she’s not dominating in Wii Sports games or doing one of her many hobbies, Ison enjoys spending time with friends and family. She is the youngest of five girls, the three oldest being her half-sisters, and then her full sister Aubree. Over the years, Ison and her sister Aubree have become close, despite being opposites in many ways.
“It’s kind of like we’re salt and pepper,” Ison said, “but then she’s also one of the people that understands me the most; she’s one of my best friends.”
Ison’s classmates and friends admire her unique and creative qualities and the fact that she has always been herself.
“Paige is different from anyone you’d find here; she’s so mature, and she has her own ideas and her own style, her own way she goes about life,” said Junior Natalya Benson. “It’s just so refreshing to see someone who doesn’t get caught up in everything that’s going on in high school––she can just be her own self and rise above everything else.”
Along with her unique qualities, Ison’s ability to be empathetic is also greatly valued by others. Recently, Benson has been grateful for Paige’s willingness to listen and help.
“The past couple of weeks have been pretty rough for me personally, and I don’t have an easy time talking to people about things,” Benson said. “So the other day, I was like, ‘I’ll talk to Paige about it,’ and it was the most helpful conversation I’ve ever had. She knows how to put herself in your shoes, and she knows how to explain to you how it’s going to be okay.”
Throughout high school, Ison has been grateful for the experiences that have challenged her and given her more opportunities for self discovery.
“I feel like I’ve been given a lot more opportunities and been exposed to a lot more things than I ever have been, especially this year,” Ison said. “I’ve been given a lot of chances to grow and just learn more about myself and make new friends.”
As Ison moves forward into Senior year, she wants to focus on being happy with where she is and the things she is able to accomplish.
“Just to be happy with what I’m doing; like, try not to have too many regrets––I’ll probably still have a few––but to just try to live life the best I can, that’s all I want for now,” Ison said.
