Do you remember what your high school journey was like? The friends you made, the teachers you liked (and didn’t), the memories that have lasted the test of time. No matter how long it has been since your high school days, everyone has a stories and memories that have stuck with them through thick and thin. Blake Beverage, a senior at Arlington High School, reflected on his journey through high school as he prepares to step into adulthood and his college career.

Blake’s story might seem ordinary on the surface, as he is a senior at AHS this school year, but diving deeper, we see that there is much more than meets the eye. As a freshman, Blake was a home-schooled student as he had been for his whole life to that point, and he would remain a student of homeschooling until he made a big leap for his senior year, and that was public school. Instead of fearing this new challenge put in front of him, he ran with it. In the literal sense, he was apart of the Tigers cross country team, but figuratively as well, as he had a option to sit in the background and take senior year easy.

Instead he chose to be one of the driving forces to the class that showcases what Arlington is all about, and that is Digital Journalism.“ I feel I was really able to take a leadership role, and in that, being able to organize and run our livestreams, but also being able to train underclassmen to be prepared to take these roles when we are gone.”

For Blake however, media was in his blood. He had been learning and developing a passion for media inside the walls of Bellevue Baptist Church, running cameras and lights ever since he was in 7th grade. Media was not the only thing he credits to getting him through the twists and turns of high school. His faith has been a key influence in his life ever since he was born, saying “ Throughout high school I really got the opportunity to make my faith my own, I was blessed to have good leaders come around me and be mentored and discipled by them, then I was able to apply it through my high school setting and combine media and my faith into something I truly love.”

As his high school career winds down and he prepares for a college career at southwest community college,as well as a Media Job with Bellevue Baptist. He says that perseverance and discipline were very important in the success he was able to achieve during high school. “ What is most important is putting the hard work in, especially at the start. When you put that hard work in, you won’t see where it was come out immediately, but when you do that, you will eventually see the fruits of your labor, and it will be a great reward.” To add to that, “ If I could give one piece of advice to a freshman, is to not waste the time that you’ve been given. Lots of times you’ll spend it looking forward to what is coming next, but don’t squander the time you have right now because that is the time the Lord can use you to influence others and to be grateful for what you have now.”

Looking on to college, Blake looks forward to finally living his media dream behind the camera, as the hard work he put in all the way back in the 7th grade is getting its purpose now. “Excitement is just nervousness about things that are easy, and nervousness is just excitement about things that are scary,” is how Blake summed up dealing with all the excitement and freedom that comes with college, but also the big decisions and moments coming up in his future. Even though it was only one year, Blake made a lasting impact on Arlington not just in his work with media and the livestreams, but in the way he interacted with every person he met as well. Blake represents what hard work, dedication, and encouragement should look like to anyone who wants to be successful. His final words were similar to those of thousands of other students, parents, and teachers, that could be said any better, “ Go Tigers.”