They’ve endured and excelled. Meet 12 Midlands high school grads who inspire us
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Outstanding 2021 Midlands Graduates
This past year has been a challenging one for most — especially our high school seniors. They shifted to virtual learning and missed out on some the best memories and traditions from high school. The State is highlighting a series of 2021 Midlands grads who have beat the biggest odds, set a high bar for serving and achieving and inspire us to make no excuses in the pursuit of our highest potential. Meet them here.
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The graduating class of 2021 endured difficult and unusual circumstances. The cloud of a deadly global pandemic hung over them and kept them, for many months, away from some of the most defining parts of a high school experience.
In the midst of a universally difficult year, some students overcame much more than the rest, from difficult diagnoses to the losses of loved ones. They’ve worked multiple jobs, played multiple sports, led multiple clubs and fought their way into some of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
These 12 graduating seniors from schools across the Midlands have achieved inspiring levels of success.
They’ve endured, from one student who survived a near-fatal car crash at the start of her senior year, to another who grieved the loss of his father — a coach and mentor to many — as he took the field for his last season.
They’ve excelled, from students who defied barriers of disability and language to students who served as much as they have studied.
They are difference makers and some of them, one day, will be life savers.
These students’ stories should inspire us to make no excuses in the pursuit of doing good for ourselves and for our communities.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
