WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. — As part of our 'Great Grads' series, we're highlighting some stellar students in the Central Georgia community.
Shyann Moore wanted to leave high school knowing she made an impact in the community that helped raise her.
"Watching my mom raise all of us together alone, practically alone is what really made me into the person I am today," Moore said.
Moore said watching her mom make sacrifices to raise her, her twin brother and older sister taught her the value of hard work.
"She always instilled in me that success was only beyond my fingertips. If I wanted something I had to work for it, and I could get it and nothing was in my way, and she really put that in me," she said.
Seeing how much her aunt, grandparents and people in Wilkinson County helped her, she wanted to have the same influence on others when she got to high school.
"I wanted to leave an impression on Wilco. I wanted to be like, 'Shyann was here, Shyann left her mark.' So, I was often known as being a butterfly. I played basketball. I played softball. I was in BETA. I was in FBLA," Moore said.
She also ran track and volunteered in a mentoring program. At one point, having so much on her plate caused her to get burnt out, but her classmates and teachers helped her through it.
"They were always encouraging, and they were just like, 'if you were going to do something, you be the best at it,' and they saw that I wanted to be the best at it, so they'd be like, 'you go get it girl!'" Moore said.
She's graduating in the top 10% of her class, and she said she couldn't have done it without her mom's support.
"I have a GPA of 3.8, so yeah, and I thank it all to her and God. I mean I pushed myself, but I didn't believe in myself as much as my mom did," she said.
Moore is heading to the University of West Georgia in the fall to pursue a degree in psychology.
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