Stephan Reed
What most describe as the glory days – football games, dances and parties, locker romances and spirit wear – doesn’t always ring true for some high school students.
Pickerington Community School senior Christaye Pack’s academic career has been nothing short of turbulent.
At only 19 years old, Pack has seen more than her fair share of hardships. Her brother was killed, her cousin fell victim to a rare brain tumor known as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and, most recently, her grandmother passed away due to ALS. Pack battles hypoglycemia and bleeding stomach ulcers.
Originally from Georgia, she has moved many times during her high school career, attending three different schools before finally calling Ohio home to be nearer to her family.
When Pack began attending Pickerington Community School, a dropout prevention/credit recovery school part of Pickerington Local Schools located next to Pickerington High School North, in April she only had nine credit hours and a 0.96 GPA.
Less than a year later, Pack has been accepted to Rochester College in Michigan with other applications pending. She strives to pursue a career in law. While no small part of her newfound success can be credited to her seemingly endless drive, Pack attributes her progress to the school.
The faculty worked around the clock as a support network for Pack. During school hours, she received the education necessary to complete a high school education and prepare for college. After school, they were Pack’s friends. They texted her constantly to see if she needed help with her medical issues or just to check up on her.
“I never thought I would have flourished the way I did,” says Pack.
She gives a special credit to her guidance counselor, Michelle Hurd, who has helped her immensely throughout her education.
Pack works around the clock as well. Not only is she nearing her high school diploma, but she also holds part-time jobs at Planet Fitness and TGI Friday’s to support herself and her mother.
Pack owes her tireless efforts to the desire to make her grandmother proud.
“Although quitting was always an option in my mind, it never was in my life,” says Pack.
After her involvement in one of her school’s debate teams, taking part in a mock trial, she hasn’t looked back. Pack dreams of owning her own law firm. Another of her aspirations is to run a youth and teen center; she wants to work with teenagers, she says.
Though initially shy about sharing her experiences, Pack hopes her story will inspire others who are in a tough spot in their lives to never give up.
“If there’s anything I want people to take away,” says Pack, “it’s that if I can do it, anyone can do it.”
Kyle Banfill is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
