by Caitlyn Minton
High school senior Ashley Cooks won’t let dyslexia keep her from dreaming big.
Cooks hopes to become a traveling nurse to combine her love of traveling with her dream of helping people.
The 17-year-old is a student at MacArthur High School in Lawton, Okla. Yet, she claims Houston, Texas, as her hometown.
She is involved in yearbook and participates in her “Pride Line,” which is similar to a school spirit section for sporting events such as basketball and football.
“I might not look like it, but I am country,” said Cooks, who enjoys mudding with four-wheelers and trucks.
She also likes charcoal drawing, swimming, traveling and watching romance and action movies, with World War Z and 16 Candles as her favorites.
Cooks believes that if she works hard, dyslexia cannot hold her back. She pointed out that successful people such as Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Cruise have risen to the top with this condition. Cooks is convinced she will, too.
She plans to earn a nursing license from the Great Plains Technology Center in Lawton. Then she wants to become a registered nurse.
For college, she is considering Lamar University in Belmont, Texas, or Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.
Cooks is the middle child of five siblings. Her family often eats Cajun-style foods to honor their heritage. Crawfish étoufféeis her favorite Cajun dish.
Cooks came to OIDJ to experience real journalism but has decided that reporting isn’t a career for her.
Will she earn a nursing degree instead?
“For sure,” Cooks said.
