Sumter's Next Generation, presented by SumterEDGE: Sumter High's Celena Dawson on how shifting perspectives turns obstacles into opportunities

The question of where 18-year-old Sumter High School senior and International Baccalaureate student Celena Dawson inherited her gumption, her answer, wrapped in a warm smile, is simple: "My grandmother."

"She had 12 siblings, and they all slept in the same room. They didn't really have much opportunity, so their main thing growing up was saying the next generation will be better and then the next," she shared. "That's what really motivates me to be a great person."

From her grandmother's perseverance came a legacy of progress. Celena's mother became a first-generation college graduate from USC Aiken, her aunt from USC Columbia, and now Celena represents the next link in that chain. That drive to honor her family's resilience is clear in everything she does. As a full IB student - one of only nine in her class - she's balanced rigorous coursework, cheerleading, part-time work as a hostess, pageants and community service. The journey has not been easy but has taught her that great obstacles are meant to launch us into greater opportunities.

If IB has taught the senior anything, it's to fail forward. To let the mistakes, the B's and C's be a lesson on where you can improve.

"Joining IB proved to be something that I had to say, 'Hey, this is something I struggle with. Let me overcome my own barriers and let me do better as a person,'" she explained. "So, it's definitely allowed for growth."

And that growth allowed room to shape her empathy and community. As a child, she was attached to her grandmother's hip as a volunteer at her grandmother's adult day center, helping to cook and talk with older patients. What began as helping out family became a lifelong value of giving back. IB allowed her to get creative in her community service, including picking up trash along roadways. The desire to help grew after a shift in her perspective that her small contributions make a difference.

Still, Celena has learned that ambition must come with balance. Between school, work, Honors Orchestra recitals and cheer, she's found ways to prioritize joy.

"I realized that to be a well-rounded person you can't sacrifice something for another," she said. "I put a focus on what will make me happy for this many hours in a day, and if what makes me happy is going to a football game and yelling my heart out, then I'll go to a football game and yell my heart out."

The same goes for academics. While studying is not an ideal pastime, when it comes to what will bring her the most joy and the best results, she's willing to devote the time to hitting the books as hard as she hits her stunts. That sense of self-awareness has carried into how she views her classmates and the culture of IB. As the only IB program in Sumter School District, the program is a set of challenging and internationally recognized educational programs in math, science, history, English and two humanities to emphasize critical thinking, a global perspective and develops students' ability to respond to challenges with optimism and an open mind. The small class size has created an unexpected sense of family, those people who will pick up when you run out of gas, bring you breakfast on a busy morning or help with a class project while on vacation.

"We all have our friends, of course, but whenever you're doing something, you don't really want to go and think about academics. But, when you're in IB and you have that IB family, they're willing to do things for you," she said. "I think that's very important."

In her last year, Celena will carry the lessons and memories of IB to an HBCU, where she plans to major in education and minor in English. The ultimate goal is to become an English as a Second Language teacher, traveling abroad to help bridge communication gaps between cultures - a career that will feed her adolescent interests of traveling the world to explore various cultures, including Germany, South Korea and Japan.

For Celena, every obstacle, be it generational or academic, has become an opportunity for growth, and she's determined to make the most of each, vowing, "I can't waste what my grandma built for me."