THS’ Vela wants to stay close to her roots
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.
High school senior Mariza Vela, 18, has attended Tharptown schools since she was in kindergarten and said she has really enjoyed her time there.
Vela, who described herself as not being a “sports person,” has been involved in other activities like the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Students Against Destructive Decisions and the Student Council where she is a representative.
She’s also spent a lot of time in the school’s library where she anxiously awaits the arrival of new books to read.
“I guess I’m just a bookworm,” Vela said of her long-standing love for reading. “Pretty much anything you give me I’ll read. I’m always asking Mrs. Harrison if there are any new books because I’ve read most of the stuff in there already.”
Vela said she will miss the small school atmosphere she’s enjoyed at Tharptown and the memories she has made there.
“One of the things I remember the most is when they built the high school,” she said. “I was in the eighth grade and it was just so new and so nice.”
Even though she’ll miss her teachers and friends, Vela said she’s looking forward to the new experiences college will bring.
“Since I’ve always gone to school here, I really just know all the same people,” she said. “I think it will be fun to meet new people in college.”
Vela understand that her college experience is just around the corner, so when she isn’t reading or participating in extracurricular activities, Vela is planning for her future.
She understands that noting in life will be handed to her and she is working hard to make sure she has the kind of life she has always wanted for herself.
“I have a lot of friends who think they can’t go to college because they’re not smart enough, but you don’t have to be a straight A student to go to college – you just have to be willing to work hard and do your best,” she said. “I decided that I was going to college no matter what it took and I’ve told them they can do that too and have a good job and a good education.”
Vela realized her hard work during high school paid off when she discovered she had received an academic scholarship to Northwest-Shoals Community College where she’ll be attending in the fall.
“I plan to go to Northwest for two years and then hopefully transfer to UNA,” she said. “I like UNA’s campus and how pretty it is. I also like that it’s still close to home.”
Vela said she plans to major in business so she can because an accountant or an insurance representative.
“I’ve always thought I would like a job in insurance and I like dealing with money,” she said. “I also took a finance class year and really enjoyed it.”
Once she graduates from college, Vela said she would still like to live in Alabama but she hoped to move to a bigger city to put down her roots.
“I’ve lived in Alabama all my life and I like it here, but there are not as many opportunities here as there would be in a bigger city,” she said. “I don’t want to be really far away from home and my family, but I want to be somewhere that I can have a good job and where there are more things to do.”
Vela is the daughter of Antonio and Angelica Vela and she has a younger sister, Valeria.
