“I keep going back between chemical and aerospace right now,” Phillips said.
“It’s really hard to tell because I’ve never really done them before, but those are the two I’m leaning towards because they both seem really interesting.”
The 17-year-old student plans to attend the University of Kentucky in the fall. For the future, Phillips expressed an interest in a career that combines business and engineering. She also wants to travel and participate in engineering-specific ministries or outreach programs to help others.
“I want to use my engineering to be able to travel either in the United States, or travel to different places in the world,” she said.
Phillips, daughter of Brent and Kim Phillips of Benton, is the Paducah Bank Teen of the Week.
Every Tuesday, The Sun publishes articles on area high school seniors who were chosen from a group of nominees for Teen of the Week recognition. Around the end of the school year, a selection committee will name one of these students as Teen of the Year, which carries a $5,000 scholarship. Another student will receive the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship.
At Marshall County, Phillips has earned a 4.39 weighted cumulative GPA.
She’s an AP Scholar with Distinction and attended the Kentucky Governor’s Scholar program at Morehead State University. She takes part in Beta Club and plays on the Marshall County tennis team. In previous years, she participated in the school marching band, pep band and jazz band.
Phillips said she’s always found playing tennis to be “really fun,” and she would like to make it to state competition this season.
Outside of school, Phillips is also a longtime, active member of the Girl Scouts. She credits the Girl Scouts organization for teaching her “so much” about the outdoors, such as about camping. She’s earned her bronze and silver awards through Girl Scouts.
“I love outdoors and I probably wouldn’t if it weren’t for Girl Scouts and all the stuff we did and being on the lake, but (there’s) also the life skills it teaches you and everything like that,” Phillips said.
She shared that there’s different community service project opportunities through Girl Scouts, and that she will “definitely” consider becoming a volunteer when she’s older, in order to help the young girls in scouts.
As for what’s next, Phillips shared that her senior year is going well and she did early orientation for UK. She’s “mainly excited” about graduating.
“I’m just really ready to move on to the new chapter of my life — once I go to college — because I just think there’s going to be a lot of opportunities there for me, and just my whole world is going to change,” she added. “I’m just so excited for what’s going to happen.”
By: Kelly Farrell