music and love to cook with my mom.
Breakfast foods are my favorite. My
mom taught me to properly make
pancakes.”
Why Mr. Rick’s class: “I didn’t
want to take an art or theater class and
thought, ‘Maybe I’ll give computers
a try.’ The more involved I got in the
class, the more I progressed. I said,
‘This is easy,’ and started to realize
that maybe I could pass a certification
test.”
Opinion of certifications: “Certifi-
cations are easy if you have the right
materials to prepare for the exam.
We used TestOut materials. They are
hands-on; no just watching a video
and taking a test. You had to really
do something. The labs showed me I
could do stuff on my own and helped
me get a clear understanding of the
subject.”
Significant accomplishment: “My
ACT score. The exam was tough and
I really did not study as hard as I
should have. I didn’t have a calculator
for the math portion; I thought the
center would provide one. After the
exam, I kept telling myself I didn’t do
well. I was excited to find out that I
did much better than expected.”
Extracurricular activities: “I was a
member of my track and field team,
as well as the debate team, but got
too busy with school and my job at
a donut shop. Track interfered with
my job and Coach told me to choose.
I said, ‘You’re not paying my school
fees so, I guess I’ll go to work.’ I take
pride in being independent and like to
pay my own way.”
Educational and career goals: “I
love kids and want to be a pediatri-
cian. I’m majoring in biology at the
University of Alabama and will minor
in computer science. I was accepted
the day of the Alabama/Auburn game
— Alabama won! A different school
offered me a bigger scholarship, but I
turned it down. My mom was upset,
she kept telling me to go where the
money is, but my heart is with Ala-
bama.”
Most challenging aspect of earn-
ing a cert: “Studying. I had the materi-
als, but my attention span is horrible. I
just can’t focus for long and never did
set a consistent study schedule. Fortu-
nately, my mom made sure I studied
the materials every night. She would
sit and watch me study.”
Best part of earning a cert: “The
feeling of satisfaction and accomplish-
ment. When I saw my exam score,
I was, ‘Wow, I just passed my cert
exam.’ ”
Advice to other students about
certs: “Study hard. It makes it much
easier and it’ll pay off in the end.”Shayla TerryCertifications: PC Pro, Network
Pro, Switching Pro. Working on Rout-
ing Pro and Security Pro.
Study habits: “I studied at least
two-and-a-half to three hours daily.Lots of domain tests, practice exams,
and I created quiz cards for review. I
also practiced a lot with virtual ma-
chines.”
Awards and honors: “At the Skills-
USA State Competition, I won 2nd
place in Internetworking.”
Extracurricular: “I’m a member of
the school’s tech team, on the varsity
cheer squad, and a School Ambas-
sador — we get recommended by a
school counselor and help around the
school any way we can.”
Awesome achievement: “In cheer-
ing, I completed back handsprings
without a spot and completely stuck
the landing.”
Why Mr. Rick’s Class: “As a kid,
I always liked computers and want-
ed to learn how to code and hack. It
has been a fascination of mine, was
a small hobby throughout middle
school, and I wanted to learn more. I
signed up in the 10th grade and have
loved every bit of it.”Thoughts about certifications: “It’s
not easy to get certified. It takes dedi-
cation and skill; without that, you will
fail. I’m trying to earn as many certs
as possible, because they will sepa-
rate me from other students and job
applicants — I’ll have more hands-on
experience.”PEOPLE IN CERTIFICATION
I didn’t want
to take an art or
theater class and
thought, ‘Maybe I’ll
give computers a
try.’ The more in-
volved I got in the
class, the more I
progressed. As a kid, I always
liked computers and
wanted to learn how
to code and hack. It
has been a fascina-
tion of mine, was a
small hobby through-
out middle school,
and I wanted to learn
more.