VHS’ Boyd looks at healthcare field

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.

Senior Shelby Boyd, 17, has been a student at Vina since she moved to the town in third grade.
During that time, she said she has made many friends and come to love the teachers who teach in the small, close-knit school.
She said she’s also tried to be as involved as she could through clubs like National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and Leo Club; and sorts like basketball and track and field.
Boyd was also chosen as VHS’ representative to the American Legion Auxiliary’s Alabama Girls State this past summer.
“Being a part of Girls State was a lot of fun because I enjoyed learning about the government and meeting a lot of new people that I still keep in touch with,” she said.
“I think it was a good experience for me, too, because going to a small school like Vina, you know everybody and everybody knows you, so you get used to familiar faces and not really meeting anyone new, but at Girls State you don’t know anyone and have to come out of your shell and interact with people. I think that helped prepare me for the real world and life after high school.”
Something else that Boyd believes has prepared her for life after her high school graduation in May is holding down a part-time job at Swamp John’s while still keeping her grades up and being involved in extracurricular activities.
“You really have to learn how to manage your time and how to get your priorities in order,” Boyd said. “Sometimes you have to miss out on fun things because you’re working or studying but it’s worth it when you’re able to save up some money and when you make good grades.”
Boyd said when she finally does graduate this spring, she’ll miss the friends she’s made, the teachers who have taught her and given her advice, her sports teams and the younger students who look up to her and the atmosphere at VHS.
“I’ve really enjoyed going to Vina, so I’ll definitely hate to leave this place behind,” she said, “but I’m also excited about starting college and a new chapter of my life.”
Boyd said she planned to take her basic classes at Northwest-Shoals Community College before moving on to a four-year college.
“I think Northwest will help me get a good feel for college before I jump right in to a bigger school,” she said.
After her time at NW-SCC, Boyd said she planned to transfer to Troy University in South Alabama.
“Troy is where we had Girls State and I just fell in love with the campus when I was there,” she said. “It’s a peaceful, pretty campus that isn’t too busy or crowded and I like that.”
While at Troy, Boyd said she hoped to study nursing so she could become a pediatric nurse.
“I know I want to be in the healthcare field and I really love little kids, so I think being a pediatric nurse would be perfect for me,” she said. “I would love helping kids every day.”
Boyd said she could see herself working and living in a city like Tuscaloosa or Huntsville.
“I think there would be more job opportunities for me if I were in a bigger city, but I don’t want to be too far away form home,” she said. “There would also be more things to do and more places to go in a bigger city.”
In her spare time, Boyd said she enjoys reading, spending time with her friends, going to the movies, playing basketball and watching Alabama football.
She is the daughter of Tim Boyd and Shea Boyd, the granddaughter of Wayne Sims, Jackie and Paulette Benson, Otis Boyd and Carolyn Boyd, and she has an older brother, Dathan Strickland.