Swinney will remember PCHS fondly
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.
Phil Campbell senior Brooke Swinney has attended Phil Campbell schools her entire life and she said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
The 18-year-old said being part of a smaller school has allowed her to be more involved and to grow closer to her classmates.
“Everyone here is basically friends with everyone else because we all know each other,” Swinney said. “That’s something I’ve really enjoyed about being at a smaller school.”
Swinney has been very involved in activities like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Future Business Leaders of America, Jobs for Alabama Graduates and the National Honor Society, but her favorite extracurricular activity has definitely been cheerleading.
“I’ve been a cheerleader for five years on the JV and Varsity squads,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun and I’m really going to miss it once I graduate.”
Swinney said she also enjoys doing pageants and was honored to win the title of Phil Campbell’s Dream Girl last year.
“Winning Dream Girl was probably one of my favorite memories from high school,” she said. “I’ve also enjoyed teaching the people in this year’s pageant and getting to crown them.”
When she isn’t busy with pageants or school activities, Swinney said she enjoys going to her church, Adams Missionary Baptist Church, singing and working out. She also said she enjoys helping others.
“Through JAG we visited people in the nursing home and through Dream Girl I waited table to raise money for the American Cancer Society,” she said. “Helping people is good, especially for teenagers, because you always have people who are younger than you watching what you do and looking up to you so you want to always be a good role model.”
Swinney has obviously had a very full high school experience and she said she would miss many things after she graduates in May like seeing her friends on a daily basis and some of her favorite teachers.
However, she said she would be looking forward to the new experiences college will bring when she starts in the fall.
“To me, starting college is exciting because you are working towards your future,” she said. “I’m also excited to meet new people and have a little more freedom when it comes to classes.”
Swinney said she plans to attend Northwest-Shoals Community College in Phil Campbell for the first two years and then transfer to Wallace State where she will work towards obtaining a degree in dental hygiene.
“Northwest is close to home and a lot of my friends will be going there so it just seemed like a good transition into college,” she said. “Wallace seemed like it would be the best place to go for dental hygiene, which is something I really think I’ll enjoy doing.
“I’ve always loved going to the dentist and being a dental hygienist just seems like it will be a good career for me.”
Once she graduates from college, Swinney said she hoped to move to a larger city to settle down, start her career and have a family.
“I’ve lived in the country my whole life, so I just think I would like living somewhere different,” she said. “Living somewhere like Florence or Huntsville would also be convenient because I would be closer to places to eat and shop and there would be more things to do.”
Before she gets started on the next chapter of her life, Swinney said she plans to just enjoy the last few months she has in high school.
“You should really cherish every moment in high school, even the ones that don’t seem so great at the time, because when you’re a senior you’ll look back and you’ll wish you could do it all over again.”
Swinney is the daughter of Rick and Cathy Swinney and she has one younger brother, Logan.
