Senior Austin Ecton is an outgoing student. He likes to keep himself busy, hang out with his friends around town, or make money working at Walmart.
“I am proud of keeping a job for two years,” Ecton said. “I have been working since I was 16.”
Ecton works at Walmart as a cashier, which is a job he plans to keep throughout high school. Until he turns 18, he is unable to sell tobacco or alcohol.
“There are some things you can not do until you are 18, but you start at $14 an hour,” Ecton said.
When Ecton is not working, he enjoys riding his Kawasaki Ninja 500 sports bike. One October night, he was injured in an accident. He was out riding his sports bike when a car hit his back wheel at an intersection. Ecton flew off the bike injuring his back and both legs. He could not walk for a while and had rods surgically placed into his legs.
“Physically, it is going okay,” Ecton said. “I still have some pain, but it’s normal.”
After a few months of recovery, he grew comfortable with himself, riding and school again. He struggled with his mental health after being stuck inside his house recovering.
”I am always a happy person, but of course it takes a toll,” Ecton said.
To get caught up in school, he had to take online courses for the semester he missed. He returned for the spring semester.
“I do not personally like doing online,” Ecton said. “I do not learn like that, I am more of a face-to-face person.”
Returning to school, seeing his friends, riding his bike, and the end of the year improved Ecton’s mental health.
“I am just going with the flow right now and seeing where life takes me,” Ecton said.
Ecton decided not to attend college after graduation.
“College is not for me, maybe trade school in school,” Ecton said. “I just have to see what happens after high school.”
Ecton is excited to move on from high school and continue focusing on his future and happiness.
