'Able to believe in myself': LCCA grad plans to study architecture

May 27—Justin Coker admits he was a bit of a slacker growing up. He didn't much care for school and wasn't exactly a star student.

But a couple of years ago, something changed.

"Going into my junior year, I just realized how important it was to try to get into a good college for my career path, so I started taking things a lot more seriously," he said.

Class of 2023

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When asked what prompted his change in attitude, he said, "It was seeing my family. They all worked factory jobs and stuff like that, so I just knew I didn't want that for my life. I wanted to do something else."

Growing up he saw the toll a blue-collar life can take.

"For years and years my father didn't get home until like 8 p.m. at night and he'd work 12-hour shifts all day," he said. "Recently, they've changed him over to a janitor position since he's been there for so long, so his hours aren't as tough on him now, but I saw it a lot when I was young."

Coker will soon graduate from Lanier College and Career Academy with straight As. His father will no doubt be proud when he sees his son walk across the stage.

"He's been preaching that to me all my life," he said of his father's insistence on getting a good education. "He just tells me how important it is."

Coker plans to attend University of North Georgia and earn his core credits before transferring to Kennesaw State University and studying architecture.

"I've always loved designing things," he said, adding that he would like to build skyscrapers because of "how profound they are. You know, they really come across with a statement."

Coker may have struggled a bit earlier in his schooling, but his U.S. history teacher during his senior year at LCCA wouldn't have known it.

"This is my 13th year teaching, and I would say Justin stands out among a very few in that 13 years that genuinely came to school wanting to learn something each day," said Joshua O'Hara. "As a teacher that's a trait that I feel like we're losing in students, and I really appreciated seeing that in somebody that was so close to graduating."

Coker said self-belief was a big part of his transformation.

"It was mostly just being able to believe in myself," he said. "For a long time I didn't, but I got over the hump. I told myself, 'You can do this,' and that's when things started to turn around."

And it was LCCA that helped foster that belief, he said.

"I want to give a big shout out to LCCA, because they really are a great school," he said. "I mean, everyone there really cares about you as a person, and I've never gone to a school like that before."