Jaleea Gamble is a rising star inside and outside of the classroom. A senior Eastland-Fairfield Bioscience student from Reynoldsburg, she was recently selected to play in the 2024 Honor Band of America.
She started her musical journey at the age of five with piano lessons and her love for music has only gotten stronger. She has played the oboe since eighth grade and was selected for the Honor Band of America through a competitive audition process.
“Music challenges me outside of what I’m used to. It provides an escape and is a wonderful community,” she said. “It is surreal to have been selected for the Honor Band. I’m grateful and excited to represent my school and community.”
The band is made up of the finest high school musicians from across the country. Led by Col. Timothy J. Holtan, 10th Leader and Commander of the United States Army Band, their work will culminate in a performance at the Music for All National Festival March 21-23 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In addition to this musical feat, Jaleea is the principal oboist for the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra and has been a member of the Wind Ensemble, Reynoldsburg’s top band, since her freshman year of high school. As the ensemble’s first-chair oboist, Jaleea recently received a Superior Rating at the Ohio Music Education Association Solo and Ensemble Contest for her Class A solo. She previously was selected for the Ohio Music Education Association All-State Band and earned first chair in The Ohio State University and Ohio University top honor bands.
Shifting to the classroom, Jaleea selected the Bioscience satellite program, housed at Gahanna Lincoln High School, because she wanted to dive further into science and said she finds meaning in scientific inquiry. She has always known she wanted to work in veterinary medicine.
What she loves most about Eastland-Fairfield is “getting to work hands-on and learning more about the practical application of techniques we use each day in labs.”
Her senior capstone project is a perfect example of what she enjoys so much. She created an experiment to study the effect of black raspberry nectar on gut microbes. Her project was judged by a group of local scientists and researchers from The Ohio State University and the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, among others, and she received third place overall among her peers. She also earned first place in the Knowledge Events category of Pathophysiology in the HOSA regional competition.
At her home school, she is the president of Reynoldsburg High School’s National Honor Society and is a representative on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council.
In addition to her musical and classroom pursuits, she had the opportunity to work as a Student Research Assistant at The James Cancer Hospital last summer and present her research at the 2023 Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Annual Scientific meeting.
One might wonder how she manages it all. She said, “Open communication with everyone is key. Also, I’m very organized so I know what I need to get done each day.”
Her accomplishments to date coupled with her communication and organization skills are already proving fruitful. In addition to graduating from Reynoldsburg High School and receiving her Eastland-Fairfield career passport, she will graduate this May with an Associate of Science degree from Columbus State Community College and has received several college acceptances and scholarship offers. In the fall, she plans to attend a four-year institution and double major in Music and Animal Science.
Kelly Lewis, Jaleea’s Bioscience instructor, has been in education for more than 30 years and said students like Jaleea are rare.
“Jaleea has a unique way of being able to set aside the noise to get things done and stay focused,” said Mrs. Lewis. “She thinks outside the box, and is highly respected by her peers and teachers.”