April Editorial…

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
– Abraham Lincoln
How many of you think about what it would be like if you could go back in time and re-do your entire life? Or maybe just starting when you got to high school? I, for one, would never want to do that. I am all about creating something for the future, not about going back and changing what has happened in the past.
High school is such a struggle for most people. I certainly wouldn’t want to go back now when everything anyone does is on social media, and most of it is untrue. Have you wondered why everyone’s life seems so great? It’s because that is what they want you to think. Nobody has a perfect life. Everyone has something going on that is not exactly what they would picture.
My time in high school was definitely not full of perfect moments. I was very much a nerd and not a part of the “in” crowd. I’m still that person today, although I can say that I have many more friends now than I ever had back then. I would hate to think about what my life would have been like if social media had been around then. Remember that anything put on the internet is there forever! High schoolers don’t always understand that, which can become an issue in future pursuits.
This month, we are so happy to highlight area high school students. I love showcasing what wonderful young people are doing and planning for their lives. This year is the end of an era for them, and hopefully, they will begin new pursuits – college, trade school, or work. Everyone has to do what they feel is best for them. Each person must create the future they believe in.

Education is an essential part of making lifelong dreams come true. Whether you have a goal of obtaining a Ph.D. or learning a trade, each person must choose their way and make it work. There are lots of jobs open everywhere to fulfill anyone’s dream for their future.
Make it happen. Make it work. Make it a reality. Dream big. You never know what you can accomplish if you give it your entire effort. I have re-invented myself several times, having many different career paths. You can too.
May God bless you and yours…
Hi! So both my Mom Luanne Cerrato Jacobs and I were also school nerds in English Language Arts and History in high school. We were both Outside Looking In Girls because we were both bullied. My Mom was a cop’s child in the 70’s, and that’s when Texarkana teens hated cops and started riots during the Vietnam War from the 60’s-70’s. However, she had friends and teachers that supported her because she was a successful student making good grades in her studies and graduated in 1976 from Texas High. She even had a high school sweetheart from Arkansas High that graduated the same year named “Mo” Moore that looked out for her until they broke up at the end of Senior Year. I am Amber Nicole Jacobs, and I am a proud Pleasant Grove High School Class of 2014 Graduate that didn’t have a boyfriend, didn’t do drugs, didn’t go to crappy teen parties, and went to Texarkana College to pursue a career in Secretarial Science and graduated with Honors in May 10, 2018. All those classmates that partied hard in high school and did drugs are now in prison. We had two boys get put in jail the first week we’re out of high school graduation, and lost their scholarships. This is what Social Media does to people! Puts the teens and high school graduates in prison because they get tempted to do things.