Featured
Graduate
August of 2005
Pensacola was the first settlement
of Europeans in what is now the United States. The
area was first sighted by a European in 1513 by Spanish
explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Three years later, Don
Diego Miruelo became the first European to sail into
Pensacola Bay. Pensacola was permanently established
by the Spanish in 1698 and became the largest city
in Florida and the capital of the colony of West Florida.
A settlement was founded in 1559
by Don Tristan de Luna and his party of about 1500
Spanish settlers. However, the settlement was destroyed
by a major hurricane shortly afterwards, and was abandoned.
For this reason, many people instead
regard St. Augustine, Florida as the first permanent
European settlement in what would become the United
States. The City of Pensacola, however, still occasionally
refers to the area as "America's First Settlement"
in advertisements and travel brochures.
The city and its bay were named after
the Panzacola Indians, a tribe that lived near the
bay when the Spanish arrived. The name was changed
to Pensacola to make it easier to pronounce for the
Spanish. Despite the original settlement's destruction,
the name was preserved and used when the area was
re-settled during the 17th Century.
Pensacola's location on the Florida
Panhandle makes it vulnerable to hurricanes. Major
hurricanes which have made landfall at or near Pensacola
include Hurricane Frederic (1979), Hurricane Juan
(1985), Hurricanes Erin and Opal (1995), Hurricane
Ivan (2004), and Hurricane Dennis (2005).
Pensacola's location on the Florida
Panhandle makes it vulnerable to hurricanes. Major
hurricanes which have made landfall at or near Pensacola
include Hurricane Frederic (1979), Hurricane Juan
(1985), Hurricanes Erin and Opal (1995), Hurricane
Ivan (2004), and Hurricane Dennis (2005).
Our featured graduate is from Pensacola.
Fortunately for us her name is easy to pronounce and
won’t have to be changed. She has not had a
hurricane named after her, but she is a force to be
reckoned with in the Pensacola area. Lori Riley fell
in love early in life. She decided to marry before
finishing high school. She also found herself a mother
to a young child at eighteen years old. Although she
valiantly attempted to stay in school, the demands
of motherhood made it impossible. Lori all but gave
up on finishing high school, let alone a college degree.
Lori heard about Citizens’
High School and gave us a call. She quickly discovered
that she could not only earn a high school diploma,
but that diploma was nationally accredited. Lori also
found out that with the Citizens’ curriculum
she could work at her own pace and set a learning
schedule around the needs of a newborn. This was something
traditional high schools could not accomplish. Lori
needed her entire senior year plus one class at the
junior level to complete the requirements fore her
diploma. She was able to accomplish this in only eight
months.
Lori graduated in May of 2004 with
an impressive GPA. She reported to us that “It
feels great accomplishing my goal of getting a diploma.
It has given me the confidence to go on to college
and make a future for my family and me. I know I am
a young mother and wife, but thanks to Citizens’
I am now a full-time college student..” Lori’s
goals for the future include earning a Master’s
degree and eventually a PHD in Health Education. We
have no doubts that Lori will succeed. She has already
proven her unwavering ability to overcome formidable
odds top reach a goal. Citizens’ wants wish
her every success and let her know how proud we are
off her. Lori Riley, you are ...
Citizens’ High School Graduate of the Month
for August 2005.
To read about other graduates, click
on the links below:
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