North Augusta High School students are dedicated, inspired, and hopeful for the future. Having frequently been asked ‘what they want to be when they grow up,’ many have already done extensive research and completed elaborate career tests to decide their next steps. Several students comment about their chosen future roles and what led to their decisions.
Shelby Enevoldsen says she hopes to one day become a “pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in chronically and terminally ill children.” She later describes that her personality, experiences, and coursework caused her to pursue the medical field. “I want to be able to make a difference in these kids’ life’s and be the light in their darkness. This hits close to home due to my health issues, but everything seems better because of one nurse I see each week. She encourages me to keep going and has helped to change my mindset. I want to be that for a child one day,” Enevoldsen says. As well, Mr. Salley’s Anatomy and Physiology class particularly developed her interests, and she explains, “I was always so intrigued during the class and wanted to keep on learning more about the body… once you find [a class] that you’re passionate about you can make an entire career out of it.”
Drew Pond similarly found inspiration in Mr. Emerling’s AP Seminar class. He says, “I loved the argumentative aspect of the class and the ability I had to talk with him and argue about different topics. He really brought the best arguments out of me.” Communication, analysis, and debate are each essential to Pond’s ideal career as a lawyer. He has “loved reading the precious documents of our country’s history and would love to try [his] hand at fighting for those who have been wrongly accused of breaking it.”
Justin House, however, is still deciding between the fields of sports medicine and computer science. He hopes that a college-level education will allow him to explore both in further detail and decide, as most students do, upon completion of his first or second year. House already has some knowledge of sports medicine coming mainly from his mother’s experience as a trainer for Clemson’s football team between 1981 and 1983. He says, “having a parent go through that already is a huge plus,” so he looks forward to potentially pursuing a similar career. If he chooses to study computer science instead, he plans to continue contacting friends who are already majoring in the subject, for which he has “only heard positive things.”
Whether you share these students’ goals, have entirely different plans, or remain unsure, North Augusta High School students are all encouraged to explore the career planning resources and assistance available in the Counseling Office.
Photographer: Ann Marie Partl
Pictured: Drew Pond
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