By KAREN JAEN
Moving out of the country for college, senior Caley Brock will be attending the University of Waterloo in Canada in the fall.
“I’m going to Canada because it’s a perfect mix of family and school. There’s so much in the world to see, and I want to explore it,” Brock said.
Brock has spent the last four years participating in numerous clubs including Engineering Club, Math Club and French Honor Society. She has also focused her attention to her main interest, the yearbook. She spent her junior and senior year as the Editor-in-chief of the Legend yearbook. Yearbook adviser Renee Burke has served as Brock’s role model throughout high school.
“I don’t know where I would be without [Yearbook] and [Burke], she’s my mentor. It’s amazing to have her influence on me; she helped me grow up,” Brock said.
Her interest in journalism and design became the inspiration for her future. Brock plans to major in speech communication and specialize in digital media. The Business and Arts Program she is entering will allow her to spend one year on campus and then graduate with two years of work experience. Her semesters will consist of four months of classroom work and the other four months she will spend in the work field.
Brock will also be spending her summer working an internship with 360ED, a company that makes innovative ways to interest student in educational material
“They work to build graphics for Florida Virtual School; they make things kids will enjoy and find engaging,” Brock said.
Being a valedictorian has created a feeling of accomplishment for Brock. Since the eighth grade she has been striving to get straights A’s. Brock chose classes she found interesting and knew she could handle, which ultimately benefited her when it came to reaching her goal.
“I set the standard for myself; I set goals that I could achieve, and I took classes I knew I would do well in. [Being a valedictorian] is more to me in that I’m done and ready to move on to the next step now that I’ve mastered high school,” Brock said.
Her family has helped her overcome the struggles of school and have become her inspiration for making her future as successful as possible. They supported her throughout school and trusted her ability to achieve her goals.
“[My advice to underclassmen is to] find your niche, find what you’re good at and stick with it; once you find that it feels so good that you have a place,” Brock said.
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