Jessica Wright is an internationally competitive track and field pro athlete. She has competed all over the United States and in Europe and the Bahamas. But she will tell you faster than her best running time that she remembers where she came from and that she could not be prouder of her hometown roots.
“When I think of Durham, Durham is me, literally,” said Wright, a 2018 graduate of Hillside High School, where she excelled in both track and field and basketball.
“What I take from Durham is my strength, my resilience, and the mindset that was built in me growing up,” she said. “Durham shaped me into the woman I am today. It taught me how to persevere, how to keep going when things get hard, and how to believe in myself even when the path in front of me isn’t easy.”
Durham Public Schools definitely got Wright onto the right track – and field! She received a full-ride athletic scholarship to Howard University, where she graduated in 2023 with a BS in Health Science. At Howard, Wright was a Division I All-American and was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion for the 2021-22 season. She was also a member of the first Howard women’s track and field team to have made the NCAA finals in the 4x400m relay in 34 years.
Since graduating from Howard, Wright has racked up some very impressive kudos as a pro athlete. She:
Received a silver medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, as part of the 4x400m relay team;
Finished fifth at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in New Mexico in the 400m;
Competed with the American team at the 2024 World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas;
Qualified for the final of the 400m hurdles at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placing fifth overall in 55.81 seconds;
Competed in the finals at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Oregon; and,
Qualified to run for the USA team in the 400m hurdles in the Bahamas in 2025.
‘Deep roots in Durham Public Schools’
Now based in Austin, TX, daily life for Wright might sound rather intense to most, but she seems to thrive on it. While continuing to train full time for her competitions, Wright also works at a sports medicine clinic, and she is studying for her MBA from Louisiana State University, which she hopes to complete in May.
Wright credits her upbringing and her time in Durham Public Schools as key factors in her success.
“Coming from a predominantly Black school and community, I also learned the importance of representation, pride, and understanding the shoulders you stand on,” Wright said. “My family has deep roots in Durham Public Schools.”
The youngest of six, Wright and all her siblings attended Pearsontown Elementary School, Shepard Middle School, and Hillside. Her father attended Shepard, and her mother played in the Hillside band. Some of her parents’ teachers also taught Jessica a generation later.
Great coaching on and off the field
Wright began her running career at a very tender age with the Durham Striders Youth Association Track Club.
“The summer I turned five or six, my mom got me out there,” said Wright of the locally renowned running club. “They were teaching us discipline and resilience.”
She ran with the Striders through high school, traveling to the Junior Olympics every summer – and winning a lot. When she got to Hillside, Wright competed in track and field and was the state champion in the 300m hurdles her junior and senior years. With all this, she also managed a successful stint on the basketball team.
“I feel like one of the most influential coaches I had was Coach Ovester Grays,” said Wright of Hillside's legendary basketball coach. “When I came to Hillside, he taught me a lot about resilience. He had all these great sayings, like ‘If you’re scared, just say you’re scared.’ He kept everyone grounded and was like a second father to everyone on the team.”
Wright credits track and field coaches Jason Smoots and James Carter for being influential in her decision to pursue track and field in college and as a career. Carter, a two-time Olympics finalist who now coaches at Jordan High School, introduced Wright to the Howard University track coach.
“We were stacked with coaches of a very high caliber,” said Wright of her Hillside coaches.
A brightly shining star in college and beyond
Once at Howard, Wright says she felt very well prepared – academically as well as athletically – to face and surmount the challenges that a premier higher learning institution, considered to be at the very top of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), would bring.
“Howard was the best decision, other than God, that I have ever made,” Wright said. “Howard has the kind of legacy and sense of pride that makes you want to be your best every day.”
After completing her MBA, Wright plans to pursue a career in marketing or medical sales, ideally within the sports, health, wellness, and fitness industries.
“Right now, I’m focused on preparing for life beyond track while working toward my goal of competing through the 2028 Olympic trials,” Wright said. “I want to be intentional about building my career outside of athletics while continuing to compete at the highest level.”
To those young DPS students who will follow in her footsteps – whether walking or running! – Wright says that the solid upbringing and opportunities that this community has to offer can take them far, if they will just let them.
“I just want the next generation coming out of Durham to see my journey and let it be a light for them to know that they can dream big and go far. That they can carry their hometown with them wherever they go,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel all across the world through track and field, but one of the best feelings is knowing that I’m making my people proud. No matter how far I travel or what I accomplish, Durham will always be home.”