Introducing...

Meet my friend, Dalton! He is a high school senior graduating this year who is so impressive because he so clearly knows what he wants to study after high school and realizes its potential importance in our world. He is a kind kid who has a sweet family and has so much potential. Read on to hear more!

Future Plans:

Dalton is an Honor-Roll kid who has big plans.  He is going to college at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College to get General Education and Prerequisites out of the way without paying a lot of money. I think that gives a glimpse into this responsible and planning-minded person's brain! He says, "I have to transfer after two years so I'm not sure which college I'll go to next. My final goal after college is to be a pathologist." 

During his session, Dalton's eyes lit up when he started to talk about his plans to be a pathologist. He said that many people go into the field and study things that we already know a great deal about, like bacteria and viruses. Dalton, though, has plans to study parasites. I was impressed, hearing him discuss with specificity and some knowledge of current research in the field to visually see his enthusiasm for this future work come out as we spoke!

Work!

Okay, you might already be tremendously impressed with this high school senior's plans, but he also holds a part-time job at Chick-fil-A! He works more than 15 hours per week! 

I have always believed that the more you work onto your metaphorical "plate" as a young person, the more you can do, within limits of course of a 24 hour day and your sanity! Someone who needs to schedule homework, school, family and friends, and a job requirements all together each week has a good understanding of time and how to balance time. These sorts of skills help a young person as they grow into adulthood and Dalton can check all of these off of his list. 

Fun Stuff!

I think Dalton seems like lots of fun. During his session, he was joking around with his family. Here are some of his favorite things!

Favorite Snack?  My favorite snack has to be cowboy caviar.

Favorite Book?  My favorite book is Feed by M.T. Anderson.

Favorite Musician?  My favorite musician is Sonny Moore (people know him as Skrillex).

Favorite Song by Above Musician?  My favorite song by him is ether Try it Out or Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. He does a lot more than just EDM (electric dance music) though, he's very diverse!

Memes

After becoming connected on social media, I saw how much Dalton enjoys a good meme. I asked him for one of his favorites to share here. I love that when he answered, he wanted to define a meme for me.  Is this a sign that I'm seeming old? :)  I knew what they were...though I should confess it was in this last year that I've learned! So...maybe he labeled me correctly after all

I'm pasting in one of his current favorites. I love it because it reflects his passion for science and his future too!

What do you picture your life to look like 10 years down the road?

What I look forward to in the future is a happy life and me taking better care of myself. In 10 years I see myself hopefully living on my own and working in the hospital or a doctors office.

Why He's a Star:

I've known Dalton's family for a number of years but spending this time with him and with his family is the longest one-on-one conversation we've ever had and I learned lots about this young man that must cause his parents to beam with pride. 

He is intelligent and well-rounded. In spending time with his family, you can immediately sense that he he has self worth, evident from his clear future plans, and stemming from all of the love and time they've invested in him over these 18 years.

People often complain about the youth of their time in each generation with expressions like "Kids these days..." Well, those people must have never interacted with the graduating Senior Stars of our community like I've had the privilege of doing. Young adults like Dalton give such hope for our future. As parents, we want our children to grow up to be empathetic, kind, focused, and responsible. Dalton is all of those things. I pray for his future in all kinds of ways and am so honored to have had a chance to get a glimpse into this star's life!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to read on, check out last week's post titled Personal Prom Session!

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