Chris Cohen

"Chasing Butterflies"

Spoken with a cute, phony British accent, this is the voice mail message from Jennifer Johnson’s cellular phone. You can’t help but smile when you hear it, especially if you know Jennifer. I have only known Jennifer for a short time, but it did not take long to realize that she is one of the most caring people I have ever met.

Jennifer describes herself as a hard worker, obsessive and a bit of a perfectionist, but at the same time free-spirited. Her hard work can be seen just by looking at her school records. She finished high school a semester early and will finish college this December, also a semester early. Most graduating high school students like to relax and enjoy the summer before going off the college, but not Jennifer. For six months, Jennifer lived in Virginia and volunteered for the Appalachia Service Project. A.S.P. is a non-profit organization that repairs homes for needy families. For six months, Jennifer spent all her time working in the best interest of others. It is amazing how big her heart is. What did you do during the summer after graduating from high school?

Jennifer enjoys music, both listening and playing. She likes to listen to Christian music and the classics, such as the Beatles and the Doors. She plays several instruments, including the bass and the piano. She is in the process of learning the guitar, which has quickly become her favorite. Jennifer also enjoys giving her spare time to others. At one time, she was the Youth Director at her church, which occupied much of her time. She served as a role model and mentor to the many teenagers she encountered.

When asked what she enjoyed most about being Youth Director she replied, "It’s neat to hear kids say that they can feel the love I give them through Christ."

By giving her free time to the church, Jennifer gives kids a place to go and spend their time. If they are having problems and need to talk, or even if they are just bored, Jennifer is there for them. She helps to keep them out of trouble. Jennifer wishes that there would have been someone like herself to go to when she was that age.

When Jennifer was sixteen years old, the pressures of living in Austin, Texas, and attending Westlake High School were too much for her to stand. She began to hang out with the wrong crowd and started getting into trouble. She experimented with alcohol and drugs. On a trip with friends to New Orleans, Jennifer even proceeded to get a tattoo, a small treble clef on her lower back. Jennifer’s parents were furious. Her close relationship with her family seemed to be falling apart. Jennifer was lost, and was struggling to find out who she was. That summer, she was able to do so.

Jennifer is a member of the Methodist Church. Around the age of sixteen, female members of the church have the opportunity to go on a chrysalis. A chrysalis is a spiritual retreat intended to help girls make the transition into womanhood and find themselves in Christ. Much like the chrysalis that transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly, Jennifer was forever changed by the experience.

"God has a plan for each of us. No matter what we do or how bad we screw up, God will adapt." It seemed that God definitely had a plan for Jennifer. The chrysalis gave Jennifer a new perspective on life. She had found herself in Christ and knew her place in the world. She also found the great amount of love that was inside her and realized that her unhappiness was a result of not sharing that love with others. She stopped hanging around the people who only caused trouble for her, and made new friends within the church. She had found the life that was meant for her and decided to make a career of it.

Jennifer began her life at Southwestern University the day after she returned from her service in Virginia. Southwestern was actually one of the last choices of schools for Jennifer. It wasn’t until she received a very personal letter from the Admissions Department, commending her on her early graduation and community service in Virginia, that she decided that Southwestern was the place for her. The school’s location also allowed Jennifer to remain close to her family. Although she was excited about beginning college, moving into her college dorm room was the last thing that she wanted to do. She would have rather spent her last day of summer with her family, not packing up all of her belongings.

"I was wearing overalls, no make-up, and I hadn’t had a haircut in six months. I was in the worst mood, and nobody wanted to be around me."

Although she blamed her unusual crankiness on her appearance, there was a bigger reason she didn’t want to be at Southwestern. She equated the people at Southwestern with the people she had known at Westlake, the people that caused so much trouble in her life. It only took a couple of days, though, until she realized that her suspicions were incorrect.

"Everybody was so nice and sweet," she says. "I only hoped they didn’t hold that first day against me."

Lucky for them they did not, and they were able to find out what a truly wonderful, caring person Jennifer Johnson really is. Just one look from her crystal blue eyes and her happy grin is enough to bring a smile to your face. If you are lucky enough to make her acquaintance and become her friend, you should know your life is blessed and you have made a friend for life. She is one of the truly kind people in the world.

What does the future hold in store for Jennifer?

"I want to be doing whatever God wants me to, and be comfortable with that."

Jennifer plans to pursue a career within the church, either as a pastor or as a missionary. She wants to get married and have kids, all the while staying heavily involved in the church. Jennifer hopes that one day she will be able to visit the Holy Land and walk the same ground that Jesus and his disciples walked. She doesn’t see a lot of money in her future, but what she lacks in monetary wealth she will make up for with happiness. A life devoted to helping others through Christ is the only life for her, and it’s a life she has already begun.

Jennifer is currently serving as the music leader for a chrysalis put on by her church, the same kind of chrysalis that forever changed her life. She hopes that her efforts will give each girl on the retreat the same opportunity to find herself in Christ, just as she did. Jennifer’s selfless love and devotion to God allows everyone she encounters to realize the beautiful butterfly that is in each and every one of us.

"Chasing Butterflies" was my first attempt at profiling another person. I had previously written a personal narrative from my own life that I believe was very successful, but telling another person’s story is a completely different task. I obtained every detail that I knew about Jennifer from the two times that I interviewed her. I was nervous going into the interview, but it was amazing how easily Jennifer opened up to me. She is truly a wonderful person, and that was the message that I felt I had to convey in the article. I used Jennifer’s quotations to allow the reader to see her bubbly personality and her background of volunteerism to express her giving nature. My biggest fear in writing this article was that I would not be able to show the audience what a caring and spiritual person Jennifer is. I believe that I was successful in telling Jennifer’s story in a way that really captured her personality. While interviewing and profiling another person was the scariest and most difficult task that I faced in this journalism class, it was also the most rewarding. Hearing how much Jennifer enjoyed the article really made me feel that all of the hard work that I put into the assignment was well worth it.