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Jemison native Charlsie Murphy, a senior at Jemison High School, is The Clanton Advertiser’s senior spotlight for her graduating class.

Murphy was nominated by her school due to her numerous curricular and extracurricular involvements, which she has successfully balanced with her academic responsibilities.

Murphy is a busy girl.

“Any club that Jemison (high school) has, I’m in it, basically. Most of them I’m officers in,” she laughed. “I’m very involved.”

Murphy plays varsity softball, is a state officer for DECA, vice president of Beta Club, secretary of Student Government Association and a member of Key Club, J Club, Future Farmers of America, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and American Legion Auxiliary Alabama Girls State.

She said her favorite involvements are softball, Girls State and, most of all, DECA.

“My biggest accomplishment, I would say, would be DECA. That was my favorite so far, especially being a state officer,” Murphy said. “Just the opportunities that it gave me were just incredible.”

Murphy loves to travel.

She credits her experiences in DECA with launching her dreams to pursue international business at the University of Alabama, which she plans to attend in the fall.

“The reason I joined DECA was because of the trips,” she said. “That was the first club I joined, and they were going to Orlando — and I was like, ‘OK, let’s go!’”

Later, Murphy ran for state officer to better make a difference for the state of Alabama.

She said she believes her greatest impact in high school was growing through the DECA program and helping younger members with questions she had once had herself.

“I think it’s seeing younger people how I was right before I got involved in DECA asking me questions and me being able to answer them finally,” Murphy explained.

Graduating will be “bittersweet,” Murphy said, chuckling at how many of her peers cannot understand her reluctance to step into her next season of life.

“I enjoy high school! I enjoy what we’re doing right now. I know it’s just going to get harder from here. I’m not ready to grow up!” she explained to her friends.

“But once I started learning more about international business, I got excited. I said, ‘I can do it,’” she recalled.

In preparation for her future career, Murphy is studying Spanish through an online curriculum.

“I’m trying to become bilingual, so that will definitely help me in international business,” she said.

Murphy wants to take several international business classes before selecting a specific area of the field to pursue.

“I don’t want to have something set in my mind yet, and then fall in love with something else and change it,” she said. “But I am for sure international business.”