wkwhiz
kids
Starr Laton
Laton says. “Also, my teacher, Brooke Hazelwood, has pushed me
to do things that I did not know I was capable of academically.”
Laton’s goal — wanting to be the first in her family to achieve
academic success — is what truly drives her.
“I want to set an example for family members after me. I want
to break the generational cycle and complete college in order to
succeed.”
John Hare-Grogg
Eugene Ashley High School
On the tennis court, in the band room or leading a student
government meeting, Ashley High School senior, John
Hare-Grogg’s schedule doesn’t interrupt his focus on the
future.
With social studies and English as his favorite subjects, Hare-
Grogg is deciding between rival North Carolina schools for college
in the fall — Chapel Hill and Duke University — where he sees
himself studying environmental law, and possibly public policy.
His high school study habits are sure to benefit his college
workload.
“I like to isolate myself, because I feel that’s when I can concentrate
best,” he says. “When I need extra help, I like to have oneon
one time with teachers, which I think is really important when
offered to students as a resource.”
Involved in Ashley’s Beta Club and his church’s youth group,
Hare-Grogg attributes his interpersonal growth to Youth Pastor
Chris Eason.
“My dad is a pastor at Carolina Beach Presbyterian Church, so I
get to make a lot of different community connections,” he says.
Living in an environment that’s conducive to his success, Hare-
Grogg says his family is a positive influence.
“They’re very supporting and very encouraging. My little sister,
Clara, has always been like my best friend, so it’s really cool,” he
adds.
His senior project, which focused on aquatic pharmaceutical pollution,
offered the opportunity for those in Hare-Grogg’s community
to dispose of expired, unwanted medications through a drug
take-back drive, rather than flushing the medication, which results
in environmental degradation.
“I would love to have as impactful of a career as possible,” he
says. “It’s a sense of determination, and the philosophy that my
education is supposed to take me other places.”
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WBM may 2012