Oliver hopes to turn passion into career
Editor’s Note: Franklin’s Future is a regular feature spotlighting a high school senior in Franklin County and what they have planned for life after graduation.
Belgreen High School student Karlie Oliver has been a Belgreen Bulldog since the very first day she started to school.
Oliver said there were perks to going to a smaller school like BHS, and that’s one of the things she’s enjoyed over the years.
“I feel like you can learn better and get a better education in a smaller school because the teachers can help you more,” Oliver said.
“That’s one great thing about Belgreen is the teachers. The ones I’ve had in high school have really helped me.”
Oliver said she is right in the middle of planning for college, and the teachers have been helpful in that area as well.
“Going through this process now, I think younger students need to know that they need to start planning for college the day they enter ninth grade,” she said.
“When you’re in ninth grade, you don’t think your grades and activities will matter, but they will. You just need to get on the right path from the very beginning.”
Part of being on the right path includes getting involved in clubs and activities, which is another thing Oliver said she has enjoyed about high school.
Some of the clubs she has been part of are Students Against Destructive Decisions, Faith Followers, Beautification, Envirothon, BETA, Annual Staff, Health Occupation Students of America and Future Business Leaders of America.
“Being in these organizations is a lot of fun because most of the time you have a chance to be with your friends, but they’re also helpful for the future,” she said.
“Some of these clubs prepare you for future careers like FBLA, Envirothon and HOSA. And they can also help someone pick a career who is struggling to make a decision about their future. Taking HOSA might get them interested in healthcare and FBLA might get them interested in business.”
While clubs may help some people choose a career, Oliver has had a potential career in the back of her mind for some time now.
“I love to bake cakes and decorate then, so I really hope to have a career in the culinary field doing cakes and pastries,” she said. “It’s the one thing I could see myself actually wanting to get up and do every day. I love it and it would be great to make a career out of it.”
Oliver said she hoped to attend the University of North Alabama to receive her culinary degree.
“I haven’t completely decided on a college yet, but UNA seems like it would have a good atmosphere and be a good place to go to school,” she said.
“My mother went to UNA and she really loved it. I’ve also been there several times through Envirothon and just thought it seemed like a good mix of not being too small but not being too big either.”
Once she graduates form college, Oliver said she would enjoy living in the country like she does now, but she would prefer living somewhere other than Franklin County.
“Franklin County has been a good place to live, but I think I would need to move to a place where I would have a better chance of having a successful career and where I could have my own bakery,” she said.
“That might be easier if I was closer to a city, but I wouldn’t want to live in the city. I enjoy living in the country because it’s what I’m used to. I like the quiet and being able to sit outside and not hear a car going by every minute. And we’ve always owned a lot of animals and you can’t do that if you’re in the city.”
Being in the country also gets her closer to one of her favorite pastimes – hunting.
“I squirrel hunt a little bit but I really love to deer hunt,” she said.
When she isn’t hunting deer, baking cakes or spending time with her family and friends, Oliver is usually working at C.J.’s in the deli.
“I work there part-time and I really enjoy it,” she said. “I think having a job in high school has helped prepare me for the real world by teaching me to be more responsible and how to manage my time and my money.”
Oliver is the daughter of Melissa and J. Way and Allan and Cynthia Oliver. Her grandparents are Charlene and Russell Oliver and Tommy and Mary Ann Bragwell. She also has two older twin sisters, Kellie Scott and Kellsie Euwing.
