Quiet and reflective, Cooper often pauses briefly before speaking as if searching for the proper response. When asked what drives him to work so hard in school, he answers matter-of-factly, stating, “The goal was to get into a good school and get a good scholarship. And that worked out for me.”

 

A straight-A student, Cooper considers math his favorite subject. He’s currently completing Calculus after completing Trigonometry as a Junior. “Math just comes easy to me. I like to do it,” says Cooper. “When you’re first taught something new in math, you have no idea what’s going on. But as you try to work through it, you keep doing your homework; it’s a subject you eventually get simply by sticking with it.”

 

Cooper is also drawn to the social sciences, especially social studies, saying, “I just like how people interact with each other and how people come together to work as a unit.”

 

A lifelong resident of Jasper County, Cooper is the youngest of three. He looks up to his grandfather, who has always been there for Cooper, often sharing his hard-earned wisdom. Cooper smiles as he shares that his grandfather seems to know everyone and is quick to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

 

While Cooper has never focused on sports, he competed on the scholar bowl squad and enjoys the quiet charm of the area, sharing that he appreciates how “everyone knows each other and is supportive and helpful.” He says he appreciates living in a town where “everyone has one another’s back.”

 

As high school winds down, Cooper shares that he occasionally stressed too much about school and now realizes that sometimes, even though something seems difficult in the moment, you can push to master what first seemed difficult. I can’t help but assume Cooper’s perseverance may have been the key to his eventual success. But as a man of few words, Cooper sums it up best. “In the end, it’s not so hard.”