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Senior heeded her inner voice
By LOGAN NEILL BROOKSVILLE -- Brooke Browning has never been unclear about her mission as a student. Her priorities have always been to learn and achieve the most that she is capable of. For the 17-year-old Hernando High senior, that philosophy was a way of answering an inner voice, one that kept telling her to always go the distance in challenging herself and satisfying her curiosity. Brooke answered by becoming something of a scholar's scholar. She pursued the toughest academic regimen, diving into subjects such as chemistry, anatomy and physics with a vigor that impressed even the most sage teachers in her school. All of which explains why Brooke has earned the honor of being this year's valedictorian at Hernando High. To her teachers and peers, it almost seemed her destiny since her first day as a freshman. "She's always been one of those students who focused completely on learning," said Hernando High assistant principal Jane Padgett. "Add to that the fact that Brooke is also a wonderful, warm person and you see why no one really wants her to leave." Brooke will leave in a few weeks to begin summer classes at the University of Florida, where she plans to study nuclear engineering. Somehow, that lofty subject seems quite fitting to a young woman who has always loved science and math. "It's my thing," she says. "Both subjects demand a lot from you. And when you suddenly figure out a complex chemical formula, or find the answer to a really tough algebra problem, you get the feeling that you've met a challenge and won. I've always loved that." There hasn't been much about school that Brooke hasn't loved. Active in several campus clubs, including the National Honor Society, Beta Club and Interact (where she serves as president), she relishes the friendships she made over the years, ones she has come to realize may never be the same after graduation. "It's starting to sink in to a lot of us that we're coming to the end," she says. "I guess the worst thing and the best thing about leaving high school is realizing that your life changes pretty drastically." Brooke says she doesn't mind it so much, knowing that the world beyond Hernando High has so much to offer, if one is willing to take it. "I'm excited about college because that's the key to my future," she says. "All the things I've accomplished so far will just seem that much greater in a few years. That's something I look forward to." Brooke Browning, 17, lives in BrooksvilleParents: Bill and Helen Browning Favorite subjects: math and science Hobbies: art and dance
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From today's Hernando Times |
