For Carney senior Charles Calkin, ministry is a family legacy.
His father is a pastor and has been in music ministry for most of Charles’ childhood. His grandfather was also a pastor. And now, Charles is planning to attend Southwestern Christian University and go into youth ministry once he graduatesfromhighschool.
“I came to Christ through the youth group. That’s the main reason because I find that it helped me in such a big way that I would love to help other people through that same area,” he said. “I feel called towards that through Christ, so I am excited for that time.”
It’s a goal that the senior has had to overcome some pretty steep obstacles to pursue. Charles admits that he’s had to work through social anxiety. He was homeschooled through eighth grade and didn’t really talk to people at all. Starting public school for the first time in high school and being around so manypeople--eventhough Carney is a small school -- was daunting.
“I was just socially anxious about it,” he said. “And yeah, very difficult to get through that, but I did find a way. It definitely helps that the people here were a lot morecaringthanmostother schools. So they kind of just helped me out through it.”
He also attributes sports to helping. When he first started at Carney, he joined the basketball team and still plays. At the time, three guys on the team were going to continue in college, and Charles said he saw it as something that had a future.
He plans to continue playing in college, and it’s the reason he can go for free.
“It’s just one of those big opportunities that I never really got as a homeschool student,” he said. “And I’m really big on trying things I’ve never done, so it was something I never did.And it was just, the community I had through it was so good at the time, it still is, that it just helps me thrive.”
The more he plays basketball, the more he’s intertwined with the school and the more he learns who he really is and what he really wants with his life and future.
Balancing it all could be challenging at times, he said, but he managed to work it out. Charles is also the salutatorian of his class, so has managed to keep his grades high throughout his school career as well.
There are many things the senior said he’s excited about, though the two biggest are prom and his future at SCU. He’s looking forward to all the opportunities that await him at the university.
“AndIgettodowhatIam excited to do for the rest of my life.And that’s just ministry, working toward that. Plus, I get opportunities to work in other churches and minister around the city,” he said.
It’s this dedication and willingness to get involved that have helped Charles stand out on campus. Cedric Sunray, the high school art teacher and college prep advisor at Carney, said he is an exemplary academic student whose contributions to the social and athletic community at the school are genuine.
“He is a truly focused young man, and we are very excited to watch his coming success as a student at Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma City, where he will be majoring in Christian Ministry,” Sunray said.
If there was one bit of advice that Charles could give to his fellow classmates, it’s to stick with it, even if it’s tough.
“It was hard for me to start off because I was new to the whole public school thing, but stick with what you can, find something that you really enjoy, and keep your grades up. They mean a lot more than you might think,” he said.
He added that every year tallies up, and after a while, there’s just not much that can be done if you don’t care enough.
He also shared a life lesson from growing up on a farm -- don’t stick your hand in tractors. It’s not a good idea, and it hurts a lot.
“I learned that three times. Don’t know why it took two extra times for me to stop,” he said with a chuckle.
This is the final article in the Senior Spotlight series.