Ferris High School: Laila Vaden is ready to jump in

Laila Vaden faced a tough choice in the fall of 2023, when she and her Air Force family were reassigned to Spokane from Northern California.

As a sophomore walking the unfamiliar halls of Ferris High School, she could have withdrawn emotionally and longed for her old friends. Instead, she reached out for new ones and made a difference at her new school.

“My first year was definitely difficult,” said Vaden, whose father serves at Fairchild Air Force Base. This isn’t her first stop in Spokane; Vaden spent kindergarten here before moving to other bases.

It happens hundreds of times every year in Spokane. With little notice, military families are uprooted and redeployed to new locales.

“She jumped in feet first into getting into leadership class her junior year,” said Ferris teacher Megan Harrison . “So many times, new students don’t want to be involved, or they struggle to find their community.”

Vaden said her life experience shaped her transition to Ferris.

“I think it’s hard, because not everyone moves around a lot,” Vaden said. “So you have to put yourself out there. I like being involved, I try to make that a big goal, but my first year was difficult.”

The staff at Ferris eased the path. In particular, English teacher Neil Strawn “was very encouraging and put effort in appreciating the stuff I wrote,” Vaden said.

“For me, coming into a new school, having a teacher who cared like that and went out of his way to talk to me was very important,” Vaden said.

Later, she got a big boost from assistant principal Andrew Lewis. Vaden had applied to join the Associated Student Body organization for her junior year. “But I missed the deadline for the interview,” Vaden said.

“But Mr. Lewis reached out, and without that, I wouldn’t have made it into ASB,” Vaden said.

Vaden’s vehicle for change was student government, which offered her a chance to make a difference at her new school.

“I like ASB because you are the people who try to make Ferris a better place for everyone,” said Vaden, who along with her colleagues tried to build a sense of belonging for students.

Ferris has many clubs and organizations, but some “were getting brushed under the rug a little bit,” said Vaden, the student information officer for ASB. Working through ASB, she tried to spread awareness and foster participation.

That was especially true of cultural clubs such as the Black Student Union and the Native American group, but also lesser-known clubs like the Dungeons and Dragons club.

“She is a quiet, solid leader,” said Harrison, a language arts teacher. “She’s also a talented writer and is so willing to share her heart.”

Vaden excelled in all her classes and will graduate magna cum laude.

Three years after the transition to Ferris, she faces perhaps a bigger one.

Originally from Southern California, she plans to major in journalism with a specialty in public relations and marketing at San Diego State University – enrollment 41,000.

“That could be intimidating,” Vaden said. “But I don’t think I’m too intimidated by being in a new environment.”