HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF STRENGTH FOR CARISSA MILBURN.

Carissa Milburn is described as self-motivated, dependable, hardworking and honest. She likely gleaned a few of those positive traits from her Army dad.

“I’m a Daddy’s girl,” she says with a smile. “I’m closer to my dad than anyone else.”

So, when he came back from the Iraq War disabled, Carissa took on the challenge of helping her mom care for him while pursuing an education.

The war exacerbated his onset of glaucoma and diabetes, which has affected his vision and ability to walk. Most days after class at Hillcrest High School, Carissa heads straight home to her father’s aid. The family must make sure he eats and take him to his many doctor appointments each week.

Her dad, who once was more lively and talkative, also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Although he doesn’t open up much about it, she can see the toll the war has taken. He no longer likes action movies, cringes at the sound of helicopters and often awakes from nightmares in a sweat.

“He hasn’t been himself since the war,” Carissa says.

Breanne Hill, who works in the counseling office at Hillcrest, says that for a teenager, Carissa has a rare ability to balance her responsibilities in life, always being there for her family and friends without sacrificing her own goals in the process.

“It’s hard to find that balance,” Hill says. “She is a phenomenal girl. I always brag on her. If I had 230 of her, the school would be perfect.”

Hill met Carissa while establishing the club Celebrating Sisterhood, a mentoring group geared toward at-risk AfricanAmerican girls. Hill reaches out to students who are prone to struggle in school. Carissa could have been one of them but in- stead acted as a leader in the group when it launched.

“She joined the group, serving as a role model and mentor for the other girls who aren’t quite there yet,” Hill says.

Carissa doesn’t see her father’s situation as a burden. If anything, the strong support system at home has helped her succeed.

“[My dad] always encouraged me. He always talked about college,” she says.

Carissa lights up when she talks about higher education. She plans to attend Brookhaven College for her basic courses and then hopes to remain local at the University of Texas at Arlington. She’s interested in studying computer science or criminal justice.

“I’m eager to get a good career,” she says. “I know for a fact that I’m going to have a good career. I want to keep going. I want to be something bigger.”

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