Sumter's Next Generation, presented by TheLINK: Lakewood High's Kayla Strong on building a path through community service, personal development

Every experience is what you make of it. And you owe it to yourself to make it count.

Which is why Lakewood High School senior Kayla Strong does not shy away from a new venture; she welcomes it and all its lessons with open arms and a chance to share her determination and dazzling smile with others.

She was born in Florence and raised in Sumter, and music has been a steady rhythm in Kayla's life since childhood. Music runs deeply in her family, where singing and instruments are common threads that stretch from generation to generation, and she started young. She was a member of the Lemira Elementary School percussion ensemble before deciding to take on a new challenge: the clarinet. Its difficulty to play is what drew her to conquer it.

"When I first started, I thought I sounded good, but I really wasn't that good," she said with a laugh. "But it's OK because that helped me get to where I am today."

Today, Kayla has been a member of Sumter School District Honor Band, an honor band member for Lakewood and received invitations to several musical clinics through the years.

That kind of drive in a young student is rare and shows resiliency, and Kayla carries it with intention.

Juggling commitments of National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Future Business Leaders of America, band, chorus and soccer alongside her responsibilities to dual enrollment and the growing list of scholarships - including a $62,000 band scholarship to Clark Atlanta University for four years - her schedule is filled with opportunities for growth and networking.

But ask her why she does so much, and her answer is simple.

"I'm genuinely a people person," she said with a smile. "I love smiling at people and just being bubbly, being kind to everyone because you never know what somebody's going through, and you might just make their day."

That mindset follows her everywhere, including to Las Vegas, Nevada, this past year to represent South Carolina in the national Miss Elks Pageant.

The journey started after Kayla was approached by a church member to compete in the local pageant. What followed was a process that pushed her to grow in poise and confidence. After winning the local title, she went on to represent Sumter in the South Carolina State Association's Beauty and Talent Pageant. There, she was crowned Miss Elk of South Carolina.

"I [was] a little nervous because it's like it's more people. I did it and I gave it all I had, and then I won," she said, letting the realization of the moment settle in. "I was really shocked that I was going to Vegas."

Though not a first-timer to the world of pageantry, this opportunity was a special one for Kayla. Beyond the crown, sash and title, being Miss Elk and representing the state on such a national stage means giving back to the community that shaped her.

"To me, [being Miss Elk] means being able to help in my community because I know my community has done so much for me," she expressed. "I'm genuinely so grateful for them because a lot of people don't have that luxury. Being a part of the community, being a part of a brotherhood/sisterhood and having people who care about me and support me, it feels really good."

All this support and work with different organizations have given Kayla the confidence to stand alone and stand firm on her own opinion.

"I learned that it's OK to have my own opinion and stand by it, to not follow what everyone else agrees on because at the end of the day, I have to know how to make my own decisions," she explained. "I have to be OK with being left behind or being on my own separate path from everyone else."

That's why her commitments are so diverse and her time management skills have been curated so well. That confidence pushed her to balance a demanding schedule and to not be a part of a pack but the trailblazer for her own path. High school is the most pivotal time in a young person's life, and Kayla learned to not waste a minute of it.

As she sets her sights on a career in the medical field, one that allows her to take her bubbly personality into a world where it could bring comfort and light to grim situations, she encouraged her peers to be true to who they are. It's the only way they'll truly succeed.

"Be yourself, observe who you're around and how they behave because if you go with the wrong group, it will definitely change the way your high school years are going to go," she expressed. "Make the most of it because if you don't, you're not going to like it. You just have to find the right people and the right things that you like to do and just do it."