The Messenger/ Ngoc Vo

A day for Charles Henderson High School’s SGA president Laura Dobson is always filled with school, work, extra-curricular activities and music.

Dobson is the current CHHS SGA president and is also involved in many student clubs and community service activities.

“I always like to be in leadership positions,” Dobson said. “They are good experiences in the long run.”

Dobson has been a class officer since her freshman year at CHHS and decided to run for SGA her senior year to branch out and to work with the whole school, instead of just her class, she said.

CHHS SGA is in charge of homecoming events, fund-raisers and different community service projects held in Pike County. The organization also designs programs for student activities such as Citizenship and Veteran’s Day.

“I never realized how much it goes into the position of president until I was in SGA,” Dobson said. “It takes many little things that nobody (outside of the SGA) is aware of to get events pulled together. For example, we have to write a lot of letters to different places for homecoming.”

Dobson said the SGA is planning a big canned-food drive with the community. The organization will put the program together for the whole school to participate in, and the drive will go on until Thanksgiving so that local food banks will be full for the holiday season.

“I love having the opportunity to help people in the community, and I am glad that we can have the whole school doing this together,” Dobson said.

Dobson is in Interact club and key club, which are both community-oriented service organizations. Dobson is also a member of the Future Business Leader of America organization.

“I like doing community service,” Dobson said. “In FBLA, we get into competitions to learn about not only how businesses work but also everything that goes into being a leader.”

Dobson said she has a very busy schedule. When Dobson is not at school, she works at Southern Health Associates in the medical record office.

“It can get kind of hard to balance all the responsibilities,” Dobson said. “You have to manage your time well.”

Dobson has applied to University of South Alabama and Tulane University. She said she wants to pursue a career as a physical therapist.

“I have always been interested in the medical field,” Dobson said. “Physical therapy involves a lot of working one-on-one with people and I am a people person.

“I have visited USA in the summer. It was a lot different from what I had expected but I love it. I kind of found a home away from home. That’s probably where I will end up going.”

During her time off from both school and work, Dobson enjoys playing the piano, which Dobson said she had been playing since kindergarten. “I know I can play the piano forever,” Dobson said. “Certain things you grow up and you cannot do anymore, while I can play the piano regardless. It helps me calm down when the day is busy and takes my mind off everything.”

Dobson said she is eager to graduate and see what the next chapter holds. However, Dobson said she is not trying to rush the time.

“I’m enjoying my senior year, Dobson said. “I’ll miss the family aspect of the school when I leave. I have been in Troy all my life and spent the time with all the people here.”