Northwest Christian Schools: Maggie Yu Mei Wright’s journey has left an indelible mark on her school, and life

Northwest Christian senior Maggie Yu Mei Wright lived a lot of life before arriving in Spokane.

Wright was adopted from an orphanage in Jiujiang, China, when she was about 4 years old into a military family. Wright joined her older brothers and sisters in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she remembers taking part in Mardi Gras celebrations and crawfish boils.

Having arrived in America knowing no English, Wright quickly learned through conversations with her family.

The family then moved to Columbia, South Carolina. After her father retired from the Army, the family relocated to Spokane. Wright attended the Northwest Christian Homeschool Program from second to fifth grade before starting school on campus in sixth grade.

While in school, Wright also attended speech therapy and learned to work with her auditory processing disorder. If students have to read something in class, for example, Wright will reread the material at home out loud in a quiet space.

English teacher Jennifer Frankovic, who taught Wright her junior and senior years, said many likely missed that Wright sometimes struggled because of her dedication in and out of the classroom and the quality of her work.

“It’s through God’s grace, my determination to learn and investing a lot of time outside of school that I’ve overcome some of my challenges, and I am managing others, and I’m very grateful to my family and teachers who have helped me to grow and succeed,” Wright said.

Wright’s high school highlights include working with band director Quindrey Davis, who died in October 2023, during band class. Wright said Davis encouraged her as a student and a person.

She also played golf for three years and participated in the spring musical all four years, performing in “Newsies,” “Shrek,” “Annie” and “Seussical the Musical.”

After graduation, Wright, who likes to draw, crochet, bake and fish in her free time, will attend Washington State University to study bioengineering, a major she chose because it combines her interest in math and science with her creative side.

Wright said she understands numbers better than letters and loves that in math you have a guaranteed outcome through specific steps, patterns, algorithms or formulas. In regard to science, she thanks science teacher Jonathan Leo for helping her see how much she enjoyed the classes.

“My favorite class is anatomy and physiology, because you’re learning about the human body, but while you’re doing that, yourself, your own human body is the study guide,” she said.

Wright hopes to use her bioengineering degree to develop prosthetics and medical devices. Growing up with a limb difference because of linear scleroderma, which she described as chronic hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissue, Wright understands that a physical difference can affect one’s opportunities, self-image and quality of life.

“I want to create things to help those individuals who might have something different about their body as well and would like to have a way to use their God-given body to the fullest and feel good about themselves,” she said.

Frankovic said Wright embodies traits – work ethic, loyalty and compassion – that the school wishes all graduates to have.

“Ultimately, what is so remarkable to me about Maggie is not just that she is incredibly talented, smart and cares so much about people; it’s also amazing she manages to stay so humble and grounded in her upbringing,” Frankovic said. “I believe she is all the richer for her varied past, and her experience creates a depth of understanding that surpasses many of her peers and equips her to better work with people in the future. I think Maggie already has and will go on touching more lives than she realizes.”