Eagles leave nest

"I always grew up liking UT," Jones said. "I watched their sports teams, and I visited Austin a lot when I was little. I just love the atmosphere. There's always something to do in the city. I wanted to experience something new when I went to college, so I feel like UT is the best place. They're also known for some of the best academics in the nation, and I wanted to be somewhere where I would be pushed...

"I want to teach piano privately and teach choir in schools," Niles said. "Music has always been a part of my life, and it's something I connect with anything spiritually. It's important that, since I was given that gift, I share it with others who have that gift but may not know how to grow in that way. I'm looking forward to moving away from home and meeting new people, starting a brand new life....

"Baylor has been my dream school ever since I decided I wanted to go into medicine," Brown said. "Everyone there was super uplifting, not just for academics but for your spiritual life. One thing I'm really into is undergraduate research. Since they are a private institution, Baylor gets a lot of funds, so they have amazing labs and tools. I felt like that would really set apart my medical school application....

"OU was my first choice," Kear said. "They are ranked No. 3 in the nation for dance. As I am continuing a dance career, I really looked at the top schools close to the area. I really fell in love with the facilities and instructors. I've dance for 16 years of my life, so it's been a major aspect of who I am. I spend all my time at the studio. I want to better myself as a dancer with that facility,...

"The plan is right now to work at a salon called The Lash Lounge doing eyelash extensions, lifts, eyebrow tints and everything like that," Morales said. "Then [I'll] go to AC for two years, then move to Texas Tech to finish my bachelor's and hopefully get into the physical therapy program. I planned on doing cosmetology, but things changed. Now, I'm going to use that to get myself through school. My...

"I first discovered CCU when my sister and brother in-law started touring it," Jones said. "Once I tagged along with them, I just fell in love with it. It's 15 minutes from downtown Denver and 15 minutes from the mountains, so that's a big plus. Every Friday, they offer going out to the mountains and going skiing. I've always been drawn by ministry. The overall culture of [CCU] is people who love the...

"I just started looking into flight schools and stuff like that," Venhaus said. "There's really not any in Texas, so I ventured out. I decided that OSU was my favorite, how it's a bigger school but still in a small town. I decided that flying is what I want to do and to go through college to get the experience, getting to fly every day instead of every other week or so like I am now. I get to make...

"UNT is a great school, and I also got a scholarship to play softball there," Callahan said. "The coaches are great. I'm so excited to get to play there, and I'm very blessed. I was a little scared going in wondering what my coaches were going to be like because I've always had the best coaches for softball. But I got to go there, and it was just amazing. UNT went the furthest they've ever gone in...

"Tech is the best opportunity I have to get a good education and still being able to walk on and work on track and field," Grimes said. "I chose Tech over all other schools because I get to be around my family. My brother and sister are there, and my parents are here in Canyon, which isn't far. I've grown up around Tech since 1st or 2nd grade always loving the school. I'm close with the coaches, and...

"After high school I'm not going to college," Brown said. "I'm going to work two jobs, move up and continue working. I'll go to college after I feel like I've saved enough money to pay my way through college. I've always been a hard worker, so working for me has always been easy regardless of how long I'm working. I kind of felt that working was the way for me to start my career."

"When I joined band in sixth grade, I fell in love with music," McKinney said.  "I later discovered my passion for teaching when I started taking private lessons from my flute teacher. She really inspired me to do music education in college. It's not a bad thing to go to a college that's smaller because it can be more affordable and there's more one-on-one teaching. I'm looking forward to focusing...

"I'm going to Texas A&M because I've grown up loving the school," Gilbreath said. "I have 10 family members that have gone, and they have a really good ROTC program. I also got an Army ROTC scholarship that will pay for all four years if I agree to five years of active duty afterwards and four in the reserves. Their ROTC is one of the best in the whole country, so I know it will prepare me the...

"I plan on going into the workforce for at least a year, if not two," Nease said. "I'll go to college after that and get a degree in engineering or financing or something like that. If I can get my foot in the door somewhere before I go into college and waste a bunch of money trying to get an education, I can just hop in there, find out what degree I need, and then go back for it while having money....

"I've always wanted to play baseball in college, and UT Dallas provided an opportunity to do that," Johnson said. "UT Dallas also has a great STEM field, and they have a great STEM institution. With the major I want to go into and then pursue orthopedic surgery after, UTD is what I felt would set me up best for my future career. It also will be fun to play baseball at a college level and also get away...