Chilton County High School senior Lauren Morgan isn’t used to the letter ‘B.’

It never was a large part of her academic vocabulary. In fact, she never saw a single ‘B’ on her report card until she took a pre-college online English course.

She’ll be glad if that’s the last one she ever sees as she embarks on a career at the University of Alabama this fall.

Morgan will graduate from CCHS next Thursday after cruising through high school with a stellar, and intimidating, 3.96 grade point average.

As varsity cheerleader captain, a player on the inaugural CCHS girls tennis team, secretary of the Historical Society and member of the SGA, Blast from the Past committee and National Honor Society, you’d think Morgan had little time for much else. Yet those extracurricular activities kept her drive intact and moving forward.

“Those things help you grow as a person and teach you so many things,” she said.

Unlike your average teenager, Morgan readily cops to actually appreciating the educational process.

“I enjoy learning,” she said. “It helps prepare you for your future. You’re better to learn now than to have to learn the hard way.”

Surely that’s a comforting thought to Morgan’s parents, Steve and Renee.

While she’s anxious to continue her journey and head to Tuscaloosa, the home of her beloved Crimson Tide, Morgan admits the feeling is bittersweet.

Her time at CCHS afforded her opportunities to learn from exceptional educators like Ricky (English) and Sheri (math) McKee and Angela Wilson (Spanish).

“I’ve enjoyed going to a school where the teachers really do care about you and aren’t just there for a job,” Morgan said. “It really helps to motivate you.”

With her dorm picked out and some college credits already to her name, Morgan is already getting some of that next-level experience.

Before long, she’ll venture up to Tuscaloosa, which isn’t too far away from home. About 75 miles northeast of Clanton, she said her mother would have little trouble making the drive from time to time.

While she’s in no hurry to declare a specific major as an undergraduate at this point, Morgan knows her path will hopefully lead to law school, something she’s always wanted to pursue.

Either way, the high achiever can’t wait to get to campus to translate her high school success to the collegiate level.

“I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life,” she said. “[CCHS] was something I really enjoyed, all of the activities and seeing my friends every day.”

Morgan has two brothers, Brett and Conner.