Sedona Red Rock High School senior Jenna Bogda will be off to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., shortly after graduating next month, joining a class of 3,309 freshmen for the fall semester.

“The first thing [I felt] was excitement and awe because Georgetown was a dream school for me,” Bogda said. “But I never saw myself being able to go there because it is such an insanely selective school … But then the homesickness hit, realizing I’m going to be 2,000 miles away from my family. I lost my great-grandpa and my aunt about a year and a half ago; they died within six weeks of each other.”

Bogda said that she plans to major in political science with a minor in government or history.

“My overall goal for my education is after my bachelor’ degree, I want to go into law school,” Bogda said. “I want to work my way into policy and criminal justice reform … I want to be in the room where everything’s happening, and seeing everything being created and Washington, D.C. is the best place for that. If you want to go into policy, what better than going to class 20 minutes away from the Capitol?”

U.S. News and World Report put the acceptance rate for Georgetown in 2024 at 12%.

“You’re kind of raised in a bubble [in Sedona] because this is a tiny little community,” SRRHS counselor Jennifer Constantineau said. “To be able to go straight out into the world to a completely different city, different state, without your mom, without the people that you know, and go to a very prestigious college that’s brave. [Bogda’s] had some things that she’s had to overcome … but she’s confident to go through those things. She knows, one step at a time, to get through those things, and just keep pushing, and she does it and she does it well.”

Bogda’s mother relocated to Sedona from Las Vegas eight years ago.

“My mom was really excited and wants to shout it from the rooftops,” Bogda said. “She had my sister when she was 19, and then me when she was 21. So she’s been through a lot. And she’s worked for everything that she’s given us. I’m just so grateful to have such an amazing mother who supports me. She’s [said], ‘We’re going to make this happen, no matter what.’ She knows this is my dream school. There’s a lot of cheaper, more accessible instate options that I could go, and it’d be nice so I could come back on the weekends. But she knows that mypassion is to be on the East Coast, and she’s willing to make that personal sacrifice to give me the life that I want, which I respect and admire.” 

Bogda is a recipient of the Horatio Alger State Scholarship, which she won during her junior year, and is also receiving another partial annual scholarship from Georgetown University by participating in their Community Scholars Program.

“I’m going out for five weeks over the summer, they’re paying for me to start taking two classes. It’s a wonderful program,” Bogda said. “It’s mainly for first generation students who don’t know what college is like to give them extended orientation to see what it’s going to be like out there. So I’m going to be out there from July to August.” 

Bogda is the editor in- chief of the SRRHS yearbook, a member of the Interact Club and of the National Honor Society and the executive secretary of the student council. After playing softball in the past, she is now on the Scorpion varsity tennis team, but said that she mostly eschews team sports because she feels like “if the team loses, I kind of put it on myself.”

“I know my family is just going be proud of whatever I do, but I want to show them that I can achieve a lot,” Bogda said. “I’ve always pushed myself really hard in school. I’ve done eight AP classes over my high school career. I’ve always pushed myself really hard. And I want to continue doing that and make my family proud of what I’m doing, which I know they’re going to be no matter what.

“Sedona has helped me so much, and they’ve gotten me everywhere I need to go. The proudest moments have been from being involved in my class and being involved in my school. I try not to put my self-worth and my pride in test scores. I think just being a part of that greater community … one of my proudest moments is also seeing my friends and where they’re going. [So] just being a part of the community and seeing how well our school is doing, especially with this new administration. I think everybody’s doing really well, and pride in just being able to be part of something so great.”