Standing between his beaming mother and his father like the rising son / sun he is, Cam’s smile, playful and gentle, is another layer within a self that can also be serious, introspective and dedicated. Who else but a deep soul like Cameron would describe some of his biggest challenges as, “try[ing] to figure out what I want in life,” and, “understanding who I am as a person.”

Senior year and high school, like the real lives they are a part of, are not all fun and games. “High School,” Cam reflects, “taught me a lot of valuable lessons and looking back on it I can’t say I have too many ‘fond’ memories, however my favorite part about School Without Walls [was finding] the group of guys that I now call my brothers... I know that whatever I am going through, I will never have to face it alone as long as they are with me. No matter what the situation is, they will always be by my side to support me and vice versa.”

One can imagine that among his many gifts, this loyalty to friendships that are about helping and supporting each other helped Cameron secure the prestigious four-year Posse scholarship that recruits student leaders, trains them, and sends them in groups, or “posses,” to top-tier colleges to serve as a community of support and transformation both for the group itself and the college at large. About 15,000 students competed for about 660 scholarship slots this year, giving Posse an acceptance rate lower than Harvard. So please, please give this young scholar Cameron Carey a round of applause. Also, please hand his mother, and yourself maybe, a tissue because when we asked Cameron what was the truest, most beautiful story he could imagine telling himself he said, “Being selected to join the illustrious Posse Foundation and holding my mom while she cried in my arms knowing that her baby was on his way to becoming the man I’ve dreamed of.”

Cam says he would tell his younger self to take “responsible, calculated risk (don’t be so shy),” and, “Don’t let anyone tell you what you cannot do.” Well, it looks like Cameron is already heeding his own guidance as he prepares to leave for the new world of college – the first in his family – and he knows that his life is “a journey that has just begun.” We celebrate Cam as he spreads his wings and we look forward to watching him fly.