SELENA GOMEZ MAKES SURPRISE
VISIT AT FORMER SCHOOL
The 27-year-old is filming a
documentary about her childhood
and hometown memories. She
was passing by the area and
decided to pop into the school.
“This trip, I wanted to take my
best friend Courtney and also
some of my people from my
label just to show them where
I grew up and how proud I am
of where I’m from,” Gomez
explained. “Some of my teachers
I got to see again, and they were
part of my life for so long.”
Gomez announces her arrival to the school.
S
tudents at Danny Jones Middle
School received quite the shock
when they saw a very familiar face
walking down the hallway on Sept. 9.
Actress and singer Selena Gomez
made a stop at her former school
in the late afternoon to say hi
to different classrooms and
reconnect with past teachers.
“She said, ‘Oh I’m just going to be in
a little Disney film,’” said Stephani
Gray, head girls basketball coach at
Lake Ridge High School. “And I said,
‘Oh. Okay.’ Because sometimes middle
school kids kind of exaggerate.”
Gray said Gomez’s name later scrolled
by in the credits of a Disney movie,
Coach Gray embraces her former student.
16 MANSFIELDTODAY
Teachers who had Gomez as
a seventh-grader remember
her as being kind, quiet and
humble. Her coach at the
time recalled when Gomez
told her she was going to
withdraw to move to Florida.
and she was excited to see that Gomez
had accomplished her dream. From
the Disney television shows and
movie roles, Gomez’s career took off.
She has earned numerous awards
throughout her career, including an
American Music Award, an MTV Video
Music Award, a People’s Choice Award
and multiple Teen Choice Awards.
Although her popularity continues
to skyrocket, Gomez said it’s always
good to come back home.
“I honestly didn’t know it’d go as
well as it did,” she said, “I didn’t
know I’d get to come and be a part
of this, so I’m really happy.”
The Grand Prairie native said that
Mansfield ISD has grown so much since
she attended schools here. She said it
was surreal to be back in the building
and gave students some lasting advice.
“What I would tell them is that it’s
really hard, but it’s worth it. I wasn’t
a straight-A student by all means, but
I think it’s really important, and I
think it’s also important to be kind to
someone,” Gomez said. “Just encourage
them in their school work and know
that anything is possible for them.”
Gomez’s family and friends accompany her on the visit.