Elizabeth Gaines (12)

Most students here at Zachary High know Elizabeth Gaines (12) is an excellent student. As a member of the 30+ ACT Club, a representative at the Literary District Rally, and a helpful presence in the classroom, it’s no surprise that Gaines has a 4.6 GPA. What many students may not know about her, though, is she’s a 12-year dancer. Gaines spends about four hours every Monday and Tuesday at Molly Myers Dance Academy. She is proficient in five styles, but her favorite is tap, thanks to an incredible former teacher, Lori Hart.

“[Lori Hart] just had this energy around her where you just wanted to be around her… I remember my first dance class with her; I was struggling… and after class, she came up and said, ‘You’re going to improve so much. Don’t worry about it,’” Gaines said.

Sadly, Hart passed away in 2022 due to pancreatic cancer. It was heartbreaking for Gaines to watch her beloved teacher struggle to dance, and that’s when Gaines decided she wanted to pursue a career in oncology – the study of cancer.

“It was really hard to see her just slowly not be able to tap anymore,” Gaines said, “And so, it was just part of me was like, ‘I wish I could do something for you, you know. I wish I could help you.’”

Story continues below advertisement

Gaines will attend Mississippi College in the fall, where she will begin her journey to becoming an oncologist. She’s beyond excited to explore the opportunities offered at Mississippi College, which has one of the best pre-med programs in the country.

For the past four years, Gaines has been challenging herself with intense AP classes, but this year, she’s faced her biggest challenge yet: AP Bio. Over the past few months of school, she’s learned that it’s okay not to be perfect as long as she tries her best.

“I never had a “B” in a class in my entire life, and I’ve had to come to terms with, especially in AP Biology, that it’s okay to not get an “A” on a test. I’m going to live. My grade does not define me as a person,” Gaines said.

Of course, academic excellence has come with a few challenges from her male peers. Gaines notes that boys in her class have sometimes felt threatened by her intelligence and have resorted to bullying her, but she doesn’t let this bother her.

“Because I knew the answers, [a group of boys] would make fun of me in class, and they would throw paper airplanes at me… I think sometimes [men] can be threatened by [a woman’s success],” Gaines said, “… [but] if you feel threatened by that… then you need to do better, but don’t be a jerk.”

Madison Lea (12)

Along with having a GPA of 4.6, Madison Lea (12) has a full load of extracurricular activities. She’s a member of the National Honors Society, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Beta Club, D&D Club, and French Club! It can be overwhelming to balance such a full schedule, but Lea has found that the key to her success is actually quite simple: getting enough sleep every night.

“I make sure to get adequate sleep, and my little secret is I like to take a small, like 30-minute nap after school to kind of refresh my brain after the day,” Lea said, “Then, I can kind of do a lot more work that way… sleep is very important.”

In her free time, Lea enjoys drawing and playing video games. She plans to attend the University of Mississippi in the fall and major in pre-veterinary science. Lee has always loved animals, and after her two dogs died, she decided she wanted to pursue a career helping animals.

“I really like animals, but also… I had two dogs that died of cancer. [I want to] at least help [animals who are sick], make it less painful,” Lea said.

Lea’s biggest challenge in school has been stepping out of her comfort zone during presentations. She’s naturally an introvert, so getting up in front of the class to present is like something out of a nightmare for her.

“One thing is like I’m quiet. And it just is not fun to work with sometimes, especially with presentations! Oh, public speaking in front of the class? That’s the worst!” Lea said.

Anyiah Lee (12)

With a GPA of 4.6, Anyiah Lee (12) has found the perfect balance between school and her hobbies. Although she isn’t involved in any extracurriculars, Lee has a deep love for music and film. She could easily spend hours listening to music or watching TV on the couch. In fact, one of her potential career choices was inspired by film. After watching the show Criminal Minds, Lee found herself interested in becoming a lawyer.

“This is going to sound silly, but… you know like Criminal Minds? I found that very interesting, you know, solving crimes, helping people,” Lee said.

However, law isn’t the only thing that interests Lee. She’s also considering a career in medicine, specifically nursing.

“Honestly, I just [saw] the pay of nursing, and that’s what got me. That’s why I took anatomy and chemistry this year, so I can get a grasp of how it would be in college,” Lee said.

By nature, Lee is a procrastinator. She said she struggled to stay focused in her physics class this year and felt unmotivated to study.

“For AP Physics, it was a really, really, really bad struggle for me, like you have these elaborate projects,” Lee said, “I kind of procrastinated and like [didn’t] study as much as I should have in that class.”

This past semester was the first time Lee received a “B” on her transcript, which was an eye-opening moment for her. She began exploring new ways to study and keep herself accountable. Now, she’s mastered studying and balancing her schoolwork with her free time. Lee uses her love of film and music as a reward system.

“So, I’m like, ‘Oh, let me study this and get like five pages of chemistry done, or let me do like anatomy notes, and then I can listen to music, or then I can watch an episode of TV,’ like as a reward,” Lee said.

Her journey with studying and balancing school with fun serves as an example for all students. It’s possible to use your passions as motivation to complete your assignments.