teen spotlight
photography by Lauren Childs
stats
16, Junior at Saint James School
notable
National Honor Society; National Society of High School
Scholars; Co-Captain of Junior Varsity Wrestling; Medaled in
Julian McPhilips Wrestling Tournament; Golf Team
quotable
Cole’s motto is “Don’t rely on others to find your path; make
your own.”
how it began
Cole is an outstanding student in several Honor Societies,
including National Honor Society, the National Technical
Honor Society, and the National Society of High School
Scholars. He also participates in the STJ JV Golf Team and
both the STJ JV and Varsity Wrestling Team.
Cole has taken several Advanced Computer classes in order
to prepare for his future career, ranging from networking to
graphics to programming. He even had the opportunity to create, program and package his very own video game at Mercer
University to present to a board of leaders in the gaming industry. During the summer, Cole attended the National Youth
Leadership Forum in Silicon Valley, where he received training
in several different aspects of the gaming industry.
what’s next
Cole hopes to become a game designer in the future. However,
he noted that the term “game designer” is pretty broad. Cole
went on to say that he “wants to design the characters within
the games, or virtual character design.
PG (parental guidance) rating
cole collins
“My parents are the hardest working people I have ever known.
They have given everything for me and my brother,” expressed
Cole when asked what about his family makes him proud. “My
mom has always given me good advice about everything. I can
always turn to her for whatever I need,” he added.
Montgomery, AL
parents’ perspective
Cole’s parents, Chip and Lisa, most admire his sense of humor
among his other outstanding qualities, such as his independence
and drive. They said, “He makes people feel very relaxed around
him with his humor. In high stress situations, he always finds a way
to bring it down a notch. That quality brings people around him a
lot of joy.”
parent-to-parent
Chip and Lisa encourage other parents to teach their
children to plan ahead. “Think about the decisions you
make today and how that affects your future,” to set goals and make
a plan. Their biggest piece of advice? “Be your kids’ biggest fans.
Never, ever miss an opportunity to say you love them, no matter
how much it embarrasses them.”
www.potentialmagazine.com
Spring 2016 |
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