As you walk down the halls of Hampton Christian Academy, you are given a preview of many different kids from all walks of life. While there are many new faces every year, the halls also contain a plethora of “lifers,” kids who have attended the school since the beginning of their education. One of theses lifers is Ashley Burnette. Sixteen year old Ashley Burnette has attended Hampton Christian Academy since she was in kindergarten. Now in eleventh grade, Ashley stands out as a paragon of dedication to her varied and complicated life.
She is known by her varied friends by a plethora of nicknames, most of which are related to her long red hair, which is almost always perfectly curled. It’s pretty obvious, Ashley Burnette clearly likes to look good. Of course, she admits, there is obvious room for “chill days” where the outfit of choice involves sweatpants and a hoodie. However, for most days she chooses a more put-together look. As she put it, “ I always want to make a good first impression, even if it’s on someone that I’ll never see again.” From an outsider's point of view, Ashley Burnette makes one heck of an impression.
Like any normal teenager, Ashley fills her time with a variety of different activities. From sports, to music, to class time, there is rarely a dull moment. As an Honor Roll Student, Ashley has managed to balance her schedule and maintain her 4.02 G.PA. Her class schedule is fairly average, with basic classes such as History, Art, and the clearly dreaded Chemistry. However, for the lack of weighted classes, Ashley has still managed to remain third in her class ranking. She quotes her success to her attitude towards school, which she declares is “Always more important, no matter what.”
While it is clearly understood that school comes first in Ashley's life, volleyball is another important aspect that takes up her time. When asked to describe herself in the game, she quickly responded “,Competitive,” with a wry laugh. However, it is very clear that competitiveness is necessary in her particular circumstance.
Ashley plays the role of setter as a starter on her high school’s varsity team. As her position is an instrumental part in the success of each play, Ashley devotes a large chunk of her time to improving her skills. Even in the off season, she continues to train in order to maintain her abilities and grow in other areas. While not a part of any club team, Ashley practices almost every day, training hard to be ready for next year’s season.
Never one for conformity, Ashley continues to challenge the status quo in her music time as well. As a member of both the high school and youth group band, Ashley spends a lot of time playing the keyboard. However, she made it very clear that traditional music was not her cup of tea. When asked about classical church songs such as hymns, she emphatically protested, making it very clear she did not enjoy them. Rather, Ashley commented that she preferred newer upbeat songs as they are much more fun to play.
With all of these interesting and time consuming extracurriculars, it is a wonder that Ashley ever has any time to relax. However, somewhere in the midst of her busy schedule, she always manages to find time to hang out with her friends. When relaxing with other peers, her favorite movies to watch are romantic comedies.
“ I like them because there’s so much less drama than real life. I don’t have to really think about anything and can just enjoy it.” While rest with her friends is important to Ashley, she made it very clear that “me time” was just as vital. Ashley enjoys baking and considers it a great time to unwind from the day.
“It helps me to relax,” she said. “Everything is neat and orderly and precise.” Ashley’s favorite thing to bake are cookies and it's obvious that she's very talented at it. If you walk the hallways of Hampton Christian on any given day, you can see Ashley handing out dozens of her baked goods like a sugary fairy godmother. This act truly surmises how Ashley lives her life, completely and utterly dedicated, even in helping others.
Written by Zoe Jones
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