Red Gold News

Leadership in Training: A Junior’s NHS Story

Aylin Camero is a junior at Jimmy Carter Early College High School. Not only is she a student, but she is also a member of the National Honors Society (NHS).
Aylin has had a nerve-wracking start when coming to JCECHS.
“When I first got to this school, I was a bit nervous about a lot of things. I didn’t know how things would work if I made any friends or if I could keep up.” Camero said. Camero shakes off her nervousness and opened her eyes.
“I soon realized this school wasn’t that scary, and I made an amazing group of friends I now laugh and talk with daily,” Camero said. “I did want to leave at first, but through this school, I’ve learned what it means to work hard for what you want.”
Aylin’s desire for recognition and appreciation for her hard work drove her to join NHS.
“Becoming a member of NHS was something I wanted to achieve because it would give me a sense of acknowledgment for how hard I work,” Camero said. “Teachers who recognized my character, leadership, and willingness to learn had faith that I could do well in NHS. It’s an honor to be part of such an organization.”
Aylin highlights the value of character when considering the traits that helped her get accepted into NHS.
“A quality that I believe contributed to my election was my character. Students often lack respect for teachers and staff. I see it happen all around me. I can recognize how hard teachers work, so I also try my best. I try to be respectful to teachers and do my work on time to avoid problems,” Camero said.
My academic and personal growth jumped from low to high when I joined the NHS.
“Being a member of the NHS has shown me what it means to help others. I used to do a sort of community service at my church. However, I haven’t been doing it for a while. NHS has shown me how good it feels when you help others. It’s not something you do for yourself but for others. It’s a community,” Camero said.
Upholding the pillars of NHS– scholarship, service, leadership, and character– has grown as a way of life for Camero.
“Day to day, I uphold the four pillars of National Honor Society by performing my best in the classroom.” Camero said.
“The first pillar, scholarship, I demonstrate by keeping my grades high in classes. While struggling, I try to finish my work and get good grades. Service, I demonstrate almost every day. During the first period, I always open the door for people. While small, it is still a responsibility I take on. I demonstrate leadership in my classes during group projects. Whenever I am assigned to work with a partner or so on, I take the lead and get things done. A person’s character is shown every day. I uphold this pillar daily by being kind and respectful to my peers. Others may say I’m too nice to teachers. However, there is nothing wrong with being kind to the people who spend their time teaching us,” Camero said.
NHS is unique among other academic groups because of its focus on service to the community.
“What distinguishes NHS from other organizations is the community built through it. NHS is a group that focuses on helping other people. It’s not for the benefit of students but for the benefit of people and animals. Projects such as the Love for Paws or the Blood Drive demonstrate the virtues this group holds up,” Camero said.
It can be challenging to balance NHS tasks with other commitments, but Aylin remains committed to doing her part,
“When I first joined NHS, I found a way to balance it out among everything else. The key is to dedicate a certain time to everything. I find time to help out in NHS whenever I can. However, when I am busy, I try to finish what I’m doing to fulfill my duties as a member,” Camero said.
There are many obstacles to being a member of NHS, but they are resolved quickly,
“One big challenge that arises every time around holidays is getting donations. Getting people to donate is hard since they often forget or don’t care. This problem is often solved by announcing the project we’re working on every morning and going around personally to mention it,” Camero said.
Looking ahead, Aylin sees a future shaped by her goals and experiences at NHS.
“My plan for the future is to become a nurse. NHS has already impacted my life by giving me a feel for what it means to help. I hope to continue carrying what I learned from NHS into my future career,” Camero said.

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Peek into the Life of a Carter Junior: A Glimpse into Ashley Gonzalez

When asked, ‘What is your favorite academic subject?’ people often respond with ‘math, science, reading, history,’ but not Ashley. Ashley’s favorite subject is painting. For her, painting is more than just painting; it’s a way to express her feelings.
“I like to do many things; I am very talented, but I love to paint. Painting just lets me express myself beyond anything,” Gonzalez said.
As a young academic student, Ashley must learn to balance her hobbies and passions with schoolwork. But how does she do it?
“I have a lot going on school, sports, and church. I know it might not look like a lot, but I rarely have time for myself (like hobbies). However, I control my schedule and make time for homework and other activities.”
However, it’s not solely about homework; it’s also about setting and achieving goals.
“My main goals here in high school are to participate in many extracurricular activities and to make my parents proud.”
With these goals come challenges, and Ashley is prepared to overcome them. Here’s how.
“One of the most challenging moments that I had to go through during high school was not having doubt. So yeah, having to give myself positive comments so that I could realize that I am capable of doing things was one of my hardest challenges.”
Naturally, school and schoolwork can become boring, but Ashley has a unique strategy for staying motivated and focused on her academic studies, which sets her apart from others.
“God motivates me to keep going. He is like my strength, and I know that relying on him will make me feel so much better whenever I have doubts. ”
As a junior, Ashley’s horizon is brimming with exciting opportunities and new adventures waiting to be embraced. Here’s a glimpse into the swarm of avenues she eagerly anticipates exploring.
“I want to influence those who believe they cannot reach their goals. I want to be a cop (SWAT), and I know that I’ll have to go through a lot with that. I’m a great student with okay grades, but I know I will be a significant influence and motivation to those who don’t believe in themselves and make them think that anyone can reach their goals, even if no one believes in them. ”

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Navigating Through Ups and Downs: Carolina’s Academic Journey

Senior Carolina Amador is a National Honor Society dual enrollment student dedicated to succeeding as a Redwolf. When Amador heard about dual enrollment classes at JCECHS, she knew it was the right place for her. Amador wants to support her parents financially so she can take most of her basic core classes before she becomes an undergraduate.
As a freshman, Carolina took dual enrollment classes, which were full of ups and downs.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how to balance these courses with my regular classes as they required more work and commitment; however, through every class, I learned to work in a way that best suited me,” Amador said.
Balancing high school coursework and college-level classes has been difficult for Amador.
“I don’t have a secret to balancing it either; I simply remind myself that the work won’t get done on its own,” Amador said. “I think of the benefits of completing all of my work on time with an adequate amount of efficiency, whether it be my high school diploma or my associate’s degree.”
Amador was elected to serve as the NHS Historian, a position that she cherished.
“As the Historian, I am also in charge of collecting photos of everything we have done throughout the year and completing our pages for the yearbook,” Amador said.
Influencing Amador’s personal and academic growth, NHS has been a significant factor in her educational career.
“NHS has served as a reminder always to do my best,” Amador said.

Senior Thrives in National Honor Society Role

Daniela Flores, a Jimmy Carter High School senior, isn’t simply a student; she’s also a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).
Flores finds joy in reading and is passionate about animals. Over the last two years, she has actively participated in extracurricular activities such as track and soccer with Palmview High School. She is also set to graduate with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

“The past two years, I have done extracurricular sports, with Palmview being track and soccer. I love animals and reading. Each year has come with its challenges, but I’m glad to be graduating with my associate in criminal justice,” Daniela said.

With various commitments, Daniela has discovered the secret to effectively managing academics, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments while balancing a busy schedule.

“The biggest secret to managing everything is not to procrastinate and plan. I use my planner to write out all my assignments, games, and events to see what needs to be done each week.”

However, in addition to these responsibilities, Flores is also a member of the NHS, which has positively impacted her academically.

“Being part of NHS has taught me the importance of giving back and appreciating all things. It has motivated me to maintain high grades in order to be a role model for the rest of the students,” Flores said.

Flores said that her high academic achievement is partly due to the influence of NHS and her desire to be a role model for others.

“I had Ms. Camarillo as my first-periodandacher my sophomore year, where she had all of the meetings with her officers, and seeing the passion within them and the change NHS was doing for our community motivated me to join. Being a member means being part of something bigger than yourself to impact our community more,” Flores said.

The four pillars of NHS—scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character—have enabled Flores to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in those areas both in school and within her community.

“For scholarship, I have maintained high grades and learned that learning is a lifelong journey that will never end. For leadership, I have been in various leadership positions with clubs in the school. For service, I have been able to serve my community by attending awareness walks and helping out by volunteering at my church. For character, always try your best to have a good attitude and represent the characteristics you want to see in the world,” Flores said.

While helping the community is important, Daniela also faces academic responsibilities at home.
“Planning. Dedicating a good 10-15 minutes to plan out what I will be doing with my time and knowing when I need to cut things out to get what I need to get done, done,” Flores said.
Numerous challenges are faced regularly as an early college student, but as a senior, even more challenges are thrown your way. This is how Daniela overcomes them.
“One of the challenges has been learning how to connect with colleges and figure out how to work through the process of applying to colleges and scholarships, but with practice and help from the staff here, I have been able to learn how to overcome them,” Flores said.
Just when you think the challenges are over, more emerge, including stressful times like midterm exams. However, Daniela relies on her faith, trusting that everything will work out.
“It does get difficult at times, but knowing the relief I will feel once they are over and I have completed them is the main thing that allows me to look into the future and believe it will all work out. As a Christian, I know that everything will work out as it should, and whenever I feel like skipping on studying, I remind myself that “you reap what you sow,” and if I want to earn a high score, I need to study,” Flores said.
As the school year draws to a close and Daniela prepares to graduate from Jimmy Carter, her visions for the future are clear. The impact of NHS continues to shape her journey ahead.
“I don’t know where I will be attending university, but I will be majoring in Criminal Justice and Marketing. My ultimate goal is to become an attorney, and my backup plan is to work in Customs. Community engagement is a factor I want to continue to pursue throughout my life, so wherever I end up, I am sure I will continue to serve my community,” Flores said.

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A Balancing Act: Managing school work and a passion for singing

Audrey Brown is an accomplished junior student at Jimmy and has many reputable achievements. Apart from many accomplishments—an NHS member, president of TAFE, UIL participant, and member of the Psi Alpha Psychology Club— she is also a choir student, a role which comes with many responsibilities.

Audrey hopes to increase her rank and do more as part of the choir. Last year, she struggled to keep up and noticed herself putting in less effort, letting her group down when she was needed. Now, she vows to be more focused on it as part of her academic duties and as a passionate interest.

“Things got hectic with testing and all kinds of stuff at Jimmy Carter,” she explains. “And when I was busy with that, I started to neglect my choir group. So this year, I want to make sure that I’m actively paying attention to that part of my life and my education, to ensure that I’m there when they need me and that I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. “

For Audrey, choir is an important part of life; she started in elementary school and has loved it since. She feels it’s fulfilling; blending in with a bigger group, learning skills she otherwise wouldn’t have, and having a general love for singing and music makes choir a rewarding experience. “I like music,” Audrey remarks. “Choir is just the natural progression of that.”

Being in the choir means Audrey has the opportunity to engage in skill sets that aren’t necessary at school:

Reading music sheets.

Collaborating with her section.

Being able to take criticism are key to performance.

Audrey has struggled with procrastination, which she credits as one of her most significant issues at work. She has missed choir often due to events at Jimmy and wants to coordinate more with her director and section this year to ensure she still participates. “One step that I definitely can take to make sure that I’m getting that balance between school here and the choir is making sure that I’m like checking in with my director all the time,” she states.

Being involved in choir, college, and various academically challenging extracurriculars, Audrey knows the ins and outs of stress very intimately. When asked about any advice she’d give to those struggling academically, she encourages others to ask for help and to be kind to themselves.

“I’ve spent a lot of time beating myself up over missing things or things falling through the cracks,” she begins. “But, let yourself live. Don’t spend time being a perfectionist because it will drive you up the wall; you won’t get anywhere. Be forgiving with yourself and others because we’re all having similar experiences here.”

Audrey’s experience with stress and managing her workload is not unique; almost everyone has struggled with schoolwork at some point, but Audrey’s advice reflects the importance of something a lot of people tend to neglect when it comes to school: self-care.