THOMASVILLE — The future has started for the top two graduates of Brookwood School’s Class of 2021.

Valedictorian Andrew Parker will be attending the University of Georgia, and salutatorian Elizabeth Rollins will be going there too.

For Parker, the choice was easy.

“Coming from a long line of UGA graduates, the city of Athens has always had a special place in my heart,” he said. “It is a great school with an equally great culture — something that I highly value.”

Parker will be studying biochemistry at Georgia, a field of study that has piqued my interest.

“It takes the nuanced, mystifying world of chemistry and applies it to living organisms which is incredible to me,” he said.

Rollins has not decided on a major at Georgia but said she may consider psychology.

“Georgia is such a great school and Athens is a beautiful city,” she said. “I have also been a Georgia fan all my life because both my parents went there and my older brother goes there now. I am interested in psychology because I may want to go into therapy or counseling.”

Brookwood’s senior class received their diplomas Saturday, marking the end of their high school careers. Like thousands of other high school seniors, their final year of high school has been tumultuous. 

But both Parker and Rollins said they have gained from the experience.

“Despite the pandemic, my senior has been a meaningful one,” he said. “The world shutting down really put things in perspective for me. I feel like I was forced to slow down and reflect on my past and future as a student which was a great thing for me as I transition into the next chapter of my life. Brookwood has dealt with the pandemic extremely well, so I do want to thank them for providing as normal of a year as possible.”

“The last year has honestly been a year of growth for me,” Rollins said. “It was a tough year, but it really made me better understand the importance of friends and family. This senior year meant a lot to me for a number of reasons, but mostly because it made everyone much closer as we all had to deal with COVID and with the stressful process of college admissions. The biggest adjustment as a student this year was learning to quickly adapt to change, as so many things, both academic and social, had to be different this year.”

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.