Academic All-Star – Jayden McCord, Fairview High

Published April 9, 2019

Senior Jayden McCord is making huge strides at Fairview High School.

After struggling throughout his first few years of high school, assistant principal Ellen Browne says Jayden has turned it around.

“Jayden now shows up to school with a smile on his face,” said Browne. “He works diligently in all of his classes, and he has completed all of his credit recovery. Jayden is proof that hard work and determination can make all the difference.”

For Jayden, the turning point came this year as he began to focus on life after high school.

“When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to graduate and get out of here,” said Jayden. “Now that I’m a senior, I’ve realized that once I graduate it’s off to the real world, so it’s really not that bad here.”

Not only is he currently on track to graduate, Jayden says he plans to attend the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in the fall to study welding.

“I did want to be an electrician,” said Jayden. “My grandfather is an electrician, and I’ve done electrical work with him. But then I started seeing people welding on YouTube, and I started to get into it.”

Although it hasn’t always been easy, Jayden says he’s going to continue to work hard to make sure he finishes the school year strong and walks across that stage in May.

“Without a high school diploma, there’s not much you can do,” said Jayden. “I want to do more than ‘not much.'”