WILMINGTON, N.C. — This week’s High School Scholar is a young woman who has a deep desire to help. Everything she does, from her studies to her activities outside of school, all involve helping in some way.
Her name is Gabrial Corley. She's a senior at Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington.
What You Need To Know
- Gabrial Corley has been selected as a Spectrum High School Scholar of the week
- Rep. Deb Butler presented Corley with a scholarship of $1,000 on behalf of Spectrum Networks
- Corley is deciding between Wake Forest University and North Carolina State University on where she will attend this fall to study sciences, in hopes to become a dentist or orthodontist that works primarily with kids
Gabrial Corley goes above and beyond in everything she does. She is in numerous clubs, excels in academics and is a member of her school's track and cross-country teams.
“I started in, like, elementary school, and I've run ever since then. I fell in love with the sport,” Corley said.
She has been part of the teams all four years of high school, and is serving as team captain for her senior year. She looks for any and every way to help those around her.
“Just get to lead them along, encouraging and pushing them along with me to run cross-country and track,” Corley said.
Gabrial excels in her studies too. She is a nine-time AB Honor Roll recipient and part of her school STEM program.
“We get to build rockets and robots. I've had a couple [of] our rockets blow up and we have to worry about, like air space and all the different airplanes coming in and travel,” Corley explained.
She is also a member of several school clubs, including National Honor Society and Earth & Environmental Club. Her goal to help goes beyond just people.
“Big issue in today's world is environment. So I figured I might as well help out and ladies campus and just help out like pick up trash and just be environmentally conscious about stuff like that” Corley said.
All of her studies and extracurricular activities have set her up to achieve her fifth grade dream of becoming a dentist.
Her drive to help others goes beyond healthy teeth, however. Serving as the head officer of her school’s Unified Buddy Club, she gets to work with other students who have disabilities and be involved in sports, teach social skills and build relationships.
“I just love creating an environment where everyone can have fun and play games and just celebrate your differences,” Corley said.
This drive to lead and help others goes beyond the track, school and her clubs. Gabrial is a youth leader at her community church, and on Wednesday nights she works with middle schoolers.
“Pushing them towards and really guiding them through middle school,” Corley said.