May 30, 2024
Eustis High Senior Syriah Williams Determined to Build a Future Focused on Perfecting Smiles
By Cynthia McFarland
Eustis High Senior Syriah Williams Determined to Build a Future Focused on Perfecting Smiles
Syriah Williams
Academic accomplishments: School has always been my No. 1 priority. I never want to stop learning. All my classes this year are at Lake-Sumter State College in the school’s Early Admissions program, and I have a 4.0 GPA.
What I’m most proud of so far in life: Honestly, who I am as a person. I’m proud of accomplishing straight A’s my entire life, but I’m also a very positive person, always smiling and encouraging people. My mom is really outgoing, so I get it from her!
Athletic endeavors: I’m the Captain of the Lady Panthers varsity volleyball team.
Favorite school subject: Math because it’s really straightforward. You either get it or you don’t!
My closest friends describe me as: Bubbly. Outgoing. Talkative. Optimistic.
Outside school I spend the most time: Reading fiction, hanging out with friends and going to the beach.
Something people wouldn’t know about me: I was raised by a single mom. I have one older brother and nine additional siblings from my dad.
My future plans: I plan to study biological science and obtain my masters in dentistry to become an orthodontist. My teeth were really crooked when I was young, and I hardly ever smiled because of it. My mom took me to Best Smiles in Mount Dora. Dr. Adam Best was always so outgoing. I had braces from sixth grade to freshman year. Now I smile so much that I am known for it.
Where I’ll be attending college: My top two picks were Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Central Florida (UCF), but FSU was pulling at my heartstrings because I was raised a Seminole. The deciding factor was whichever school presented the greatest opportunity. I have officially decided on FSU.
Any pets?: I have a rescue puppy, “Ellie,” who showed up on my doorstep.
Someone who’s an inspiration to me: Dr. Lauren Lockhart, an African American orthodontist on TikTok.
Motto that I live by: Live life to the fullest because you never know what can happen.
If I could change one thing overnight: Prejudice. More specifically, how African American women are perceived.
My message to the world: Be kind to everyone because you never know what someone’s going through.
Fill us in!
Fill us in!
Fill us in!
"I fell in love with words early on and knew from fourth grade that I wanted to be a writer,” says Cynthia McFarland. A full-time freelancer since 1993 and the author of nine non-fiction books, her writing has earned regional and national awards. Cynthia lives on a small farm north of Ocala; her kids have fur and four legs
