THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 15, 1994 TAG: 9406140135
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940615 LENGTH: WINDSOR
When drum majorette Whitehead, 18, blew a long toot on her whistle for Windsor High School's marching band, the band followed her lead.
{REST} ``I'm just like a choir director,'' Whitehead said. ``Only the band really knows their music. I just blow the whistle to start them off. It (the whistle) gets the tempo and the speed of the music going. If my whistle isn't right, the band won't play in unison,'' she explained.
But Whitehead, who's played clarinet in school bands since the fifth grade, is laying down her baton this year and marching off to Elizabeth City State University where she plans to study biology in preparation for medical school.
``I've always wanted to be a doctor, to help people,'' she said. ``I like to see how the body works. I might choose a specialty like pediatrics because I really like kids.''
``I've never really thought about doing anything else,'' she said. ``I've always wanted to do something in the medical field. If I don't become a doctor, maybe I'll become a nurse or a social worker,'' she said.
But Whitehead said she knows the path to medical school is laid by hard work and dedication.
``It's going to mean a lot of late nights up studying. It may mean gaining 10 pounds because of all the studying and eating,'' she said with a laugh.
Although Whitehead said she's excited about going to college, she said she choose a college close to her Franklin home because she wanted to be able to come home on weekends, if she needed to.
``I'm the only one out of all my friends that's going to that particular college. So, hopefully, I'll be able to get all my work done. I'm comfortable with the fact that the college isn't far from home, `` she said.
She said she also hopes to play her clarinet in the marching band at Elizabeth City State.
While attending Windsor High, she also played on the girls' volleyball team from ninth to 12th grade. Starting in 10th grade, she also was a shot-putter on the track team. Her first year she tossed the big iron ball 26 feet. Her best distance was 32.7 feet, however.
``To get good at shot put, it's a lot of practice,'' she said. ``It's a lot of lifting weights and coaches pushing you.''
Whitehead is also a recipient of the U.S. Air Force Achievement Award for math and science.
by CNB