Waltzing in like she had conjured her own personal pink bubble of magic, Jayna Glynn graced my presence with a meeting at Traveller’s Coffeehouse one chilly Monday afternoon. The far wall housed studying students, a small table helped an older woman through her devotionals, and a small green teapot accompanied the brunette with a book. In all of that, the pink and red clad student made her way to me, short blond hair moving in time with her steps. She deposited her things and moved towards the counter.    

      Jayna didn’t know what she wanted. She perused the menu, began her order, backtracked, and chatted amicably with the cashier. Her red sweater was adorned with a pink puffy vest. She wore widely cut dark wash jeans that hung above her red and pink high-tops, complete with hearts on her ankles to match the hearts in her ears. It was the week of love, and Jayna would fight the dreary weather in armed combat with her outfit alone if she could. Everything about Jayna screamed enthusiastic happiness, and maybe that’s why I scheduled her interview first: how could anyone walk away from a conversation with the physical embodiment of the Joy of the Lord feeling anything less than fulfilled?

      Jayna’s days are filled carefully and excitedly with commitment and hobbies. She has a need to keep her hands moving, and they are lonely without her crochet hook. You can tell in the way she talks with every part of her body, in the way she leans forward, in the way she always seems to be anticipating motion. Perhaps she sat down, hands bored, and regretted not bringing a project for her crochet business, @crochetalldaybae, along. Perhaps, she was whirling with an idea for a playlist in order to DJ and MC an upcoming wedding. Perhaps, her fingers itched for a keyboard to lay bare her soul. Either way, she was excited, lit up even despite the lack of natural light.

      This is Jayna’s senior year. This is her last semester at Missouri State University cramming all sorts of musical theater knowledge into every performative bone in her body. The application process to even get into the program was brutal—singing, dancing, and acting samples required for only a small chance of success—but she was not cowed. Even now, she spends her weekends auditioning for upcoming shows.

      There was a time before musical theater, however. There was a long time where everything was simply music. Jayna’s parents enrolled her in piano lessons before she even made it to grade school. Piano wasn’t something she simply played. She resonated with it. “I was, like, a prodigy pianist,” Jayna admitted to me. “I competed as an elementary schooler with the high schoolers, and I was, like a nerd to the max. I was, like, five hours a day at the piano because I loved it.” Eventually, acting joined her list of pastimes, helping to characterize her into the young woman she has become today.  Recently, she took to jazz. In class, her professor taught her a variety of ways to make scales a nightmare of difficulty, but Jayna continues to rise to the challenges set before her. She has big aspirations and dreams of New York. Considering how she’s practically Glinda the Good Witch in the making, I have faith in her ability.

      Jayna hasn’t just spent the past few years improving through school. A variety of shows and extracurriculars have continued to give her a chance to bloom. One such opportunity was the Scholar’s Program at First & Calvary Presbyterian. She’s finishing up her third and final year right now and looks back on the plethora of memories amassed fondly. She remembers applying during her freshman year. “I love the Lord,” she recounts, “and I love leadership, and ‘let me in coach’! I had a couple of interviews, and I haven’t stopped doing it.” Her favorite part of the program lies, unsurprisingly, in all the relationships she’s built. She’s watched the Scholar’s program grow from four students to ten. She’s watched the contemporary service grow into itself. She’s revelled in the opportunity to do music and ministry with other women. She’s laughed, she’s connected, and she’s grown. One of her favorite memories is being surrounded by friends while recording for Testify, put on by F&C on Spotify, and being unable to get a good take because of the mirth permeating the atmosphere.

      Jayna has carved out an invaluable place among the Scholars. The community cultivated over her years here radiates the joy she so enthusiastically emits. If you’re craving to join a collection of Christian creatives, make sure to apply to the Scholar’s Program to be considered for next year. We’d love to have you, just click the link: https://www.firstandcalvary.org/scholars-application

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Written by Jocelyn Squires