ERLANGER, Ky. — Jonah Purnell is the pride of Lloyd Memorial High School, but it hasn’t come easy. He’s overcome multiple personal challenges to become a standout student and school leader.
He was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 2, then a major seizure in first grade forced him to repeat the year and lose all his friends. He said his brother helped him carry on.
“I will never forget this. He said the smartest people always have challenges. He told me that Albert Einstein actually had to repeat the first grade and Einstein is one of the most brilliant, smartest people to ever live. So after he told me that I was like, maybe it's not such a bad thing, maybe everything happens for a reason," Purnell said.
However, he struggled with anxiety and isolation and was diagnosed with autism at age 8.
He said it was “a major, major impact on my life because you can't really get rid of it. All you can do is just kind of be the best version of yourself and live through it. I want people to understand that the outburst some people with autism may have, it's not like you're crazy, you should go in a nut house or whatever, but it's just part of your day-to-day life.”
As that was going on, his grandmother — the person he called his best friend — passed away. But before she died, she left him with valuable advice: be your own story.
He explains it was “her basically saying, don't try to be somebody else. Be your own version of yourself, be your own story. And I always cherish that till the day I die honestly. I think after my grandma's death, I couldn't really explain how, but something clicked and I just had this sense of urgency of I’ve got to grow up. I’ve got to make things happen.”
And that’s exactly what he’s done, earning a 3.83 GPA and winning school awards in science, history, psychology and Spanish. He’s earned 30 college credit hours while completing the Health Care Career Hub. He did that while putting in many hours in the weight room so he could star as a defensive lineman on the Juggernaut football team. He also played junior varsity basketball and works 20 hours a week at a part-time job. Plus he’s given over 60 hours of community service as part of the National Honor Society.
His school counselor Jennifer Glass said he has become a student that others look up to.
“I feel like if you walked into a room full of 100 people, Jonah would immediately stand out. Maybe it's the blonde, curly hair or it's his huge smile. I think those are two physical features about him but there's also — I don't know if the right word is like a magnetism," said Glass. "People are very drawn to him, in his personality. And actually from the first time I met him to now, he's almost doubled in size because he's worked out so hard in the weight room. So there's just a lot of features about him that are very inviting. And his personality when you start to get to know him is why you can see why there's kind of that draw to him.”
Glass continued to say that when she first met him freshman year, he had been shy and timid. But recently, she said Purnell has a newfound confidence that she believes is from taking on opportunities he may have not felt comfortable doing at first.
“He's a leader and a lot of his leadership comes through (being) a silent leader through the example that he sets," Glass said. "So he's not out there selling him himself to anybody. Just through his actions, other kids recognize that and they know hey, I want to be like Jonah when I get to my junior and senior year.”
Purnell said he’s proud of the work he’s done.
“I like to think I've beaten all odds. When I was younger, my mom used to think to herself, who out of my three kids is going to take care of Jonah when he's older? I don't think that's in the conversation any more," Purnell said. "I feel like I'm normal, my mom will say a normal boy like Pinocchio.”
His next step is to get a Ph.D in physical therapy. He knows it’ll be another challenge in life full of them, but he’s ready to face it head on.
“Every single day I'm like, that's the goal," Purnell said. "You’ve got to keep on with that goal, no sidetracks. You’ve just got to keep on trucking it. I think that's what really keeps me motivated. And also I love it when people doubt me. Like I love it. I crave it because I love to show them I didn't fail. I love that.”
Glass also believes any doubters will be proven wrong, saying, “I'll get emotional when I start to talk about it because when graduation comes around, when I see somebody like him, I'm going to cry. Goodness. It's like a huge deal as a counselor. It's amazing.”