According to Pike Liberal Arts senior Casey Campbell, everything you do now has an effect on what you do later, and that's the best piece of advise she can give her underclassmen.

"A lot of things that you think are no big deal are," she said.

"Everything you do counts and matters and you have to always be thinking one step ahead."

Campbell can look back now at the work she put into her high school activities and know those words are true.

The senior is graduating with a 3.89 GPA, she received the Chancellor's Scholarship to Troy State University, she was a PRAISE nominee and she won the Exchange Club essay contest and female Pike County Youth of the Year award.

She knows everything she did in high school mattered.

"Academics have always been important at our house," Campbell said.

Her mom is a teacher at Pike County High School, but before that, she taught her daughter and son at Pike Liberal Arts School.

"I've always been a pretty good student, but my mom was a lot tougher on me," she recalled.

She said both of her parents have high expectations when it comes to academic performance.

"They expect A's," she said.

But Campbell hasn't focused all of her time on her school work.

She is also the Student Government President and yearbook editor.

She said her favorite activity is working with the yearbook and she would like to do something in related field, but she hasn't made up her mind.

"I'll just go to Troy State undecided and then go from there," she said.

She does have favorites, though.

"I've always been a math and English person," she said.

"I like grammar.

I like things to be correct and right, but I'm not so good at creative writing."

Campbell said she is pleased with her high school efforts.

"I feel like I've done it all," she said.

"I really enjoyed high school.

I worked hard to be able to do everything. Looking back, I would have probably done less."

That may be one lesson Campbell leaves behind.

"I'm the kind of person who tends to take on more than I can handle and then I stress out while I'm doing it," she said.

"Whatever I do, I'll be busy no matter what."

Leaving PLAS will be tough for her because she said her class is so close.

"I started kindergarten at Pike Lib and I've been there my whole life," Campbell said.

"We fight like brothers and sisters, but we all love one another and we get over it."