Just shy of her 18th birthday, high school senior Kacy Jones enjoys jam-packed days at the Williamsburg Independent Schools. Her plate is full with classes and activities including band, cheerleading, student council and tutoring second graders. So much of Kacy's life is centered around the school and the community – a community she will soon leave for college.

“Kacy is a great example of a student taking initiative, taking opportunities that have been set before her and really running with them," says Kayla Henderson, a school counselor. In addition to high school classes, Kacy will have completed her associate's degree online in April. Kayla describes Kacy as a student who pushes through adversity rather than letting it defeat her.
In addition to playing tennis and tutoring second graders, Kacy keeps an eye out for her 8th grade brother, Colin, driving them both to and from school and watching the NFL games on television together. They're big Cincinnati Bengals fans. They are the fourth generation on both sides of their family to call Williamsburg home, and she and her brother attend services each Sunday at Emlyn Baptist Church.

Kacy is nervous about leaving her hometown for the University of Louisville, where she hopes to study to pre-med and become an anesthesiologist. While sad about the prospect of her leaving Williamsburg, her parents and step-parents are all very proud.

Even though both her maternal grandfather and birth mother attended what is now called the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kacy wants to leave town for a while to explore the world.

“Williamsburg is a small town," Kacy says. "I feel like I need to venture out ... for a part of my life so that way I can see what's out there.”