How long you've been competing in UIL: I¹ve been competing in UIL journalism since my freshman year.

 What's the most challenging/nerve-wracking thing about your event: When I attended State last year, the time limit was especially nerve-wracking. The contest director counted down the last fifteen seconds, and a room full of sixty students feverishly wrote and printed down to the last second, myself included. Those fifteen seconds were the most intense fifteen seconds of my life.

 First thing you'll do when you win: I¹ll celebrate with my current adviser, Mr. Reuben Riggs, and then I¹ll call up my old journalism adviser from my freshman and sophomore years, Mr. Leland Mallett. He was the one who accompanied me to State last year when I didn¹t even have a journalism adviser at my school. And, he was my sister Jackie¹s adviser at State five years ago. So, it¹s kind of a tradition.

 Past honors in the event: I attended State my freshman year as an alternate in Headline Writing. I then attended State my junior year as an alternate in Editorial Writing, and that same year, I won the State title in Feature Writing.

 Extracurricular activities/other UIL events: French Club President; Senior Class Vice President; Interact Club; National Honor Society; Honor Band (Saxophone Section Leader); Jazz Band

 College plans: I¹m really looking forward to attending UT Dallas next year and majoring in neuroscience. I¹m especially excited about the Academic Distinction scholarship they gave me, which will cover tuition and fees all four years.

 Birthplace: Big Spring, Texas

 One thing your parents, a sibling or even a best friend might not know about you: Although I love to write, I don¹t really have a desire to make a career out of it. But my experiences in journalism throughout my high school career have been amazing ones, and I¹m definitely going to enjoy every little moment I have left. Hopefully, State will just be one more of those special experiences.