Potential Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 51

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 | L31