Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506100001
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-27 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In a class of 203 graduating seniors, 50 will attend four-year colleges, 50 will enter community colleges, 10 will go into military service, and most of the rest will join the work force. Ludwig will do none of the above.
``She's not swayed by the crowd. She kind of goes her own way. I don't know if she's joking or telling the truth, but she said she wants to work for the post office,'' guidance counselor Roger Johnson said.
But first, she's finishing high school. Then, she's going to work for part of the summer, and, in late August, become a foreign exchange student for a ``13th year of high school,'' Johnson said.
Ludwig said her friends think her idea is ``really weird. I think I'll probably learn a lot. I don't think of this as another year of high school. The main reason is for a cultural exchange. I'm going to experience a different lifestyle.''
Ludwig became interested in this notion in 10th grade, when she went to a Youth For Understanding leadership seminar. She said she has asked that her destination be somewhere outside of London, and she'll probably be placed with a family in Scotland or England.
She said she's hoping her trip abroad will help her decide her future. ``I think this is going to help me grow up. My parents have always been very open with me, and let me form my own opinions. We talk about things - they are really excited about me going,'' she said.
To make this trip possible, Ludwig said she has been working as a clerk in a pharmacy for three years. Although she's considered college, she doesn't know where she'd want to go. ``There's a possibility of looking at schools over there. If I come home, I'll probably go to a community college and transfer from there.''
Ludwig said that in high school, she concentrated on leadership and academics. She is president of the National Honor Society, she was sophomore class president and has been a member of the Student Council Association since 10th grade. ``I like English a lot, and I'm on the newspaper staff and was on the yearbook staff last year,'' she said.
As senior class president, Ludwig said she was in charge of class T-shirts, and also fielded the issue of voting on whether to change the colors of the caps and gowns [they didn't]. In addition, she has helped with graduation and class nights.
According to Johnson, Ludwig's independence is not unusual for this senior class. ``This class is very mature. I think they're rather unusual in that respect,'' he said. The valedictorian, Almeda Wright, has received a scholarship from Michigan Institute of Technology, and the salutatorian, Kristine Price, will attend Roanoke College.
In Johnson's opinion, parental involvement plays a big role in students' successes.
by CNB