Do You Know Your Neighbor? --Kayla Beebout

Keionna Bailey and I went to middle school together, and honestly, I’ve always admired her.  She has always seemed to have this confidence about her, a level of comfort with herself and others that I love.  I’ve always been a quieter sort, but she has always struck me as someone who loves people and just enjoys being with them.

Over the course of our time at Henry Clay, I have been able to get closer to Keionna.  It’s really a privilege to be with her, because she always has something to laugh about and is ready to be friends with just about anybody.  She’s one of those people who is popular in a good way—everyone just loves hanging out with her.  I think she’s hilarious; not a single day goes by in English class where she doesn’t make me laugh at least once.  Her spirit is evident in everything she does, and her energy influences the people around her.

Keionna is the kind of person who doesn’t have to try to be nice or funny or confident.  That’s just who she is.  She is honest about her opinions and is genuine in her friendships.  I know that whatever it is she ends up doing later in life, she will be successful.  She is easy to work with and is a natural leader.  When she steps up as a leader, though, she isn’t the bossy kind.  She is the kind who cares about the people she is working with and what she is working on, and knows how to get things done.  I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about her, and trust me, that says a lot about her.  When everyone else is complaining or on the verge of giving up, she always has something to laugh about or some way to put things into perspective.  Working with her even made the dissections we had to do in freshman year bearable (and if you know much of anything about me, then you know what a big thing that is).

I’m really glad that I’ve been able to know Keionna over the years, and I’ve loved having classes with her and talking to her.  I know that she’s going to do great things later in life, and again, I really admire her personality and openness to others.  If you don’t really know her, you should definitely spend time with her, because she is one of the most genuinely great people I know.