Vina’s Watson wants to give ‘justice for all’

Editor’s Note: Franklin’s Future is a regular feature spotlighting a high school senior in Franklin County and what they have planned for life after graduation.

Vina High School’s Hashuluv Watson has made the most out of her high school experience.

The 17-year-old senior has attended Vina since she was in kindergarten and said she has enjoyed being part of a smaller school where she could get to know everyone and have the opportunity to be involved.

“I’m really a one-on-one learner so it’s been nice to be at a school where the class size is smaller and the teachers can give you the kind of attention you need to learn all the material,” she said.

Watson has been a part of the school’s softball team since seventh grade, something she said has been a fun experience.

“I love my teammates and all the mishaps and laughs we’ve had over the years,” she said.

Watson has also been the president of Students Against Destructive Decisions, the captain of he school’s Envirothon Team, the class vice-president of the Leo Club and a member of the annual staff.

“My advice to any of the underclassmen is just to cherish this time because it goes by faster than you know,” she said. “I’ve had some good high school memories and there are many things I’ll miss like all the first days of school. I’ll miss that ‘first day experience’ where you get to see everybody after being out for the summer.”

Watson also said she would miss seeing her friends on a daily basis once she graduates in May but she said she also looking forward to new experiences in college.

“I’m really looking forward to the diversity and to meeting new people,” she said. “I’m also excited about the specialized learning that will focus on the things I’m interested in.”

Watson said she plans to attend the University of Alabama where she received a full-tuition scholarship.

“Alabama is close to home but it’s not too close and I really like the campus so I just felt like it would be a good fit for me,” she said.

Watson said she plans to major in political science in preparation for a career as a criminal lawyer and possibly a career in politics.

“I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer and I think political science will be a broad major that will help me learn a lot of different things that will be useful to me in the future,” she said. “Everyone has always told me that I would be a good lawyer and I think it’s something I would enjoy. I like the idea of ‘justice for all’ and I want to do my part to make that a reality and help people.”

Helping people is something Watson said she enjoys doing and was glad she was able to help people in her community after the April 27 tornado.

“I organized a trip for our SADD club to participate in the Helping Hands Toy Drive for tornado victims,” she said. “I like to help people and it made it more special to help people that needed it who were so close to home.”

While she has enjoyed growing up in a small community, Watson said she sees herself settling down in a bigger city once she graduates from law school.

“I think it would be more beneficial to my career to work at a private firm in a bigger city where I could work on a more diverse case load,” she said. “I just think it would be more interesting to work on different cases and not just one certain type.”

Watson said that even if she heads off in search of the big city lights, she’ll most certainly be back in the area to visit her family, which includes her parents, Harold and Judy Watson; her four older siblings, Kevin Watson, Jeff Childers, Jennifer Watson, and Shaunna Watson; her five nephews and her four nieces.