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Weekend Edition - May 16-17, 2020
CLASS OF 2020
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Building a promising future through hard work HUNTER STANSBURY, JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL
BY NATHAN BERG
Stansbury said he would just think of them and things would suddenly become more manageable. “To me, it feels really good, beHunter Stansbury figured out at a young age that he likes to work with cause I know that they’re proud of me,” he said. his hands. The stress of school and work As a kid, Stansbury would go over to his grandfather’s house and help were plenty to challenge Stansbury out with whatever odd job needed to throughout his high school career, be done. Sometimes, the pair would but his life was further complicated fix something that was broken, and in the middle of his senior year sometimes they would build some- when his mother, Robin, was diagnosed with breast cancer. thing new. “My first reaction was it was kind During one of those visits, Stansbury, a Johnson High senior, de- of shocking,” he said. “You never cided he would one day start his think it will happen to you.” Stansbury imown construction mediately took company. Now, over household rehe plans to pursue sponsibilities like that dream after grocery shopping, graduation. cleaning the house “I would be doand making sure ing that a lot, and his 14-year-old sisI kind of got used ter stayed on top to it and attached of her schoolwork. to stuff like that,” He even tried he said. “I was cooking on a few like, this might be occasions, though something nice admitted “that to do as a career didn’t go very when I’m a little well.” older, because I’m “I didn’t want a little familiar anything to be with it. I felt like hard on (my it would be a good mom), or stressthing to do.” ing her out over Stansbury knew me and my sister he would have doing anything to work hard to wrong or messachieve his goal, ing up in school or so he decided he anything, or her would start makhaving to clean ing it happen. the house or anyAs a junior, in Hunter Stansbury thing,” I wanted to addition to a job at Hardee’s, he picked up a second job make sure all the stress and everypainting houses for his girlfriend’s thing was off of her.” Stansbury remained focused on father. Working two jobs was difficult school and received enough credits but nothing Stansbury couldn’t to graduate in December, becomhandle. ing the first member of his family to “I’m still young, so there was a earn a high school diploma. He now lot I wanted to do, like go out, have paints houses full time while trying fun with friends and buy stuff,” he to earn enough money to start his said. “But I was like, do your job construction business. and school. I’ll give it a try and see It’s been a difficult journey for how things go.” Stansbury, but he said he is proud Much of Stansbury’s motivation of how far he’s come. came from his parents. “There were a couple times His mother and father both where I would get stressed out dropped out of high school to better and it was like, ‘oh, I don’t want take care of him, he said. Whenever to do this,’” he said. “But I pushed the pressures of school and work through it all and I made it. It just started to become overwhelming, feels good that I didn’t give up.” nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
‘There were a couple times where I would get stressed out and it was like, “oh, I don’t want to do this.” But I pushed through it all and I made it. It just feels good that I didn’t give up.’
SCOTT ROGERS | The Times
