Joe Hornaday
The seniors at South Decatur High School have only a few weeks left until graduation, when they are forced to say good-bye to the familiar hallways of their former learning locale and move on to college or to the workplace.
For 18 year-old South student Tyler Hill, much of the future is already plotted.
Hill plans on heading off to the campus and dormitories of Ball State University once the summer ends. Once there, he will begin his studies in computer science.
“I’ve always had an interest in computers,” he explained.
At South Decatur, Hill said he was able to take several classes on the subject that he had always enjoyed. He even participated in instructor Kelly Fox’s web design class, where he and classmates worked together most of the school year to put together a computer and then document their work on a Website, which was entered into the Oracle ThinkQuest Competition for judging. Hill noted that the finished product looks good, and he believes the South Decatur web design class has a good chance at winning.
All 12 years of his education have been spent at South Decatur. Up until eighth grade, Hill played basketball. For most of his academic career, he has been involved in the FFA in soil judging. He has served as secretary for the National Honor Society and the Student Council.
Once he graduates, Hill said he hopes to enter the world of software engineering, which would be the first step of his career.
Before the career can begin, Hill needs to obtain that diploma. When visiting Ball State to see older friends, Hill said the campus just had the right feel. He was able to talk to some computer professors and got to know and like the program.
In the meantime, Hill is looking forward to graduation. Right now, he doesn’t have a summer job lined up just yet.
“Still working on that,” Hill said.
Hill hopes to possibly work with ETC, or he might end up helping out with his youth group at his church.
