Gaston is heading off to U. of Cincinnati in the fall
(This article first appeared in the June print issue of the Hendersonian)
Kaelyn Gaston said she didn’t attend school for nearly two years before she came to Central Academy.
The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on her mentally and emotionally, and coming out of it, she didn’t adjust well. She said she was suffering from depression several years ago, when her family, which had been living in Morganfield, moved to Henderson, and at that time, she said she “wasn’t sure I’d make it to graduation.”
In Henderson, she met with administrators in the school system, who informed her that her best bet to graduate on time was to go to Central, where many students take online performance-based classes.
“Essentially, we work at our own pace,” Gaston said.
Her pace was plenty fast. She said she finished most of the material needed for graduation last year and ended up completing her work early in the most recent spring semester. All told, she finished her courses in a little over a year and a half, she said.
On top of that, she took advantage of a co-op opportunity the school has in place with Gibbs. She has worked there since January 2023. There, she works in the tool room of the tech plant. She tears down the dies, cleans up and checks that water is flowing—basically, she makes sure that everything is working properly.
Gaston said she works with great people—very supportive.
“They’ve been great,” she said.
But though it’s been a good job for her, it’s taught her she wants to do something different with her life.
Gaston, who was named the Henderson County Fiscal Court’s Judge’s Scholar in April, said she’ll enroll at the University of Cincinnati next fall. She’s planning on studying chemistry and later going to medical school. She said what kind of doctor is subject to change but she’s very interested in neurology.
She credits her teachers, Adrian Roberts, Cassandra Crowder and Lynn Crews, and principal Lindsay Thompson.
Years from now, if she ever needs assistance, she says she knows she can call on them and “they will do what they can to help out.”
