NORTH CARROLLTON — The call came around 7:40 a.m. when 18-year-old J.Z. George High School senior Justin Randle found out he had been named valedictorian. He had four days to write his speech.
He had already had thoughts of what it would be like to be valedictorian when he was top of his class in 10th grade.
“I felt really proud of myself, and it was something I wanted to keep. I didn’t want anyone to pass me,” he said.
Randle’s ambition came from wanting to be the best. On graduation day, he had a 3.97 GPA, a 27 ACT score, cords for Beta Club, Regular Honors Core, and National Society of High Scholars, and thousands of dollars of scholarship money for his academic success.
“We are proud of him. He has always done well; he has always pushed himself; he has always had high expectations for himself,” said Iberia Randle, Justin’s mother.
Justin Randle, who has lived in Carroll County his whole life, was a hard-working student from the very beginning. Sherry Foster, the J.Z. George librarian, has known him since he was in the eighth grade. Her first impression of him as a student was that “he was quiet but very business-orientated,” she said.
“He always kind of knew what he wanted. He wasn’t one that would follow the crowd. He just kind of stood out on his own,” Foster said. “Good family-orientated kid.”
Coretta Vance Green, principal at J.Z. George, said she has known Randle since 2010 and thought he was always an “awesome student” in both academics and behavior.
“He was always head of the class,” she said.
This fall he will continue his academic career studying aerospace engineering at Mississippi State. He was drawn to the school because of its engineering program and because his family also attended the university. He has been awarded several scholarships including $1,000 for the Junior Auxiliary Scholarship, $16,000 for the Academic Scholarship Award for Mississippi State University and $2,500 for being selected as a Delta Council Honor Graduate.
Yet he also has passions outside of academics and learning, and his biggest one is football. During his high school career he played middle linebacker, but he was injured this past season and had surgery on his shoulder, he said. His favorite team is the Green Bay Packers.
“I was drawn to football because I started in the seventh grade, and it was a way for me to make friends, have fun and work with a team,” he said.
Even though he might not be able to play in college, he is still most excited about college sports. He is also looking forward to traveling and meeting new people in college.
After college, he would like to work for an aerospace employer such as NASA to help design and work on advancements in the field such as creating parts of airplanes that are more efficient and safe, he said.
Randle’s advice to other students and rising seniors next year is to not lose track of goals.
“Don’t get sidetracked,” he said. “You can enjoy life, but you still have to remember life is not going to be easy once you get out of high school. High school is the easy part.”
Family and members of the Carroll County community have high hopes for his future.
“I pray that Justin continues to keep the mindset that he has and that his family continues to support him and that he becomes a productive citizen that makes us here in Carroll County so proud because I am hoping he is going to be one of those we’ll be reading about in the paper,” Foster said.
• Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
