Cameron Sony

Cameron Sony – Georgia
Nomination & Photography by Angela Williams Photography
Issue 54 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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Nomination: Cameron Sony is so inspiring to me and to her peers at school. She is the captain of the cheer team and was voted homecoming queen this year. She is in multiple clubs, she works a job and still has a 3.9 GPA. She is beautiful inside and out! I just love her and I would love to nominate her for Inspiring Teens Magazine.
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Photography by Angela Williams Photography

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​What should we definitely know about you?
I moved here (Ringgold, GA) right before high school from Ohio. I’ve come a long way but I love everyone I've met and the community I am in. I have opened up my shell a ton and I've started to become more comfortable putting myself out there. I am a cheerleader at my high school and I got cheer captain. I also got nominated for homecoming queen which took me way by surprise. I cried so many times. I love Angela, my photographer and how comfortable she makes me feel and how she helped me express myself in my photos. I have a big heart and would do almost anything for anyone. I am so blessed to even be considered for this magazine and I don’t want to take any of it for granted.

Tell us about your cheer career. How did you get started, how many years have you cheered and what do you love most about it?
I was a cheerleader at my old school in Ohio, but there our school did not have insurance so we could not stunt or tumble, we just cheered on the sidelines for football games. When I moved here to Ringgold, GA I was so excited to try out but when I got there, I was very intimidated because I realized these girls did crazy flips and stunts I have never done before. I was lucky enough to have made the team that first year and my coach tried to get me to fly, but I was not very good at it. She told me she saw potential in me though and started having me base. I have been a base ever since and have learned many new tumbling skills that I used to grow up wishing I could do. The thing I love the most about cheer is probably the trust and love we have for each other. It is a crazy thing to trust some girls to throw you in the air while you spin or flip and hope they catch you, and as the base, hope the flyer does not kick you in the face. I have grown so close to my teammates and trust them so much and they are a family to me that I will never forget.

What is a favorite accomplishment from cheer?
Overall when it comes to cheer and my team's accomplishments I am very proud of us for having an undefeated regular season all four years I have been there. For me personally though, I feel so accomplished to be their captain. I love my team and I love that they can trust me and listen to me without taking it as I am bossing them around. We all learn from each other and take each other's advice. Honestly every girl on the team could be our captain and do an exceptional job at it. We all work so hard.

What do you love about your cheer team and what is a favorite memory with them?
My cheer team has such a weird and goofy sense of humor. We have so many inside jokes with each other that nobody else would be able to understand. We could have the hardest practice ever and literally be kicking each other in the face and landing on each other and still have a laugh together. If our team did not have the chemistry, it has we would not be nearly as good as we are. I am so thankful for all my teammates and where we all have come from. My favorite memory with them would probably have to be after I got nominated homecoming queen and they all ran towards me and gave me a huge group hug on the field. We were all crying and screaming, and they made me feel so loved and thankful for all of them. It is nice knowing you always have another family to go to that will always be there for you for your biggest accomplishments and hardest times.

Do you plan on cheering competitively after high school?
Honestly, probably not. I love cheerleading and I am so upset to have to part from it. For this new chapter in my life though I am going to start working more often while also going to college and going into nursing school. I feel as though having cheer on top of that is just going to bring more stress to my life and to my body. The college I am planning on going to as of now also does not have a cheer team. If I end up going to The Ohio State University though I will definitely think about it!

Photography by Angela Williams Photography

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​How did you meet Angela with Angela Williams Photography and why did you know she was definitely the one to take your senior pictures?
I knew seniors from the year before who had been using Angela for their pictures. I saw them and loved them, so I reached out to her about taking my prom pictures. She responded and told me she looked at my Instagram and was curious if I wanted to be a senior rep for her! I was so shocked and so excited but honestly kind of nervous. When I met Angela for my prom pictures that year that's when I knew for sure I wanted to be her representative. Angela is one of the most genuine and kind people I have ever met. She made me feel so safe and comfortable and I just love her so much. I could not imagine doing it with anyone else. I am so thankful for her.

What was the experience like leading up to the shoot and then the shoot and then seeing your pictures? Tell us all your happy thoughts!
Leading up the photoshoot it was just going to be a valentine’s photoshoot. Angela though had an amazing idea to bring my prom dress I never got to wear before I sold it. It is hot pink and would look perfect for a valentines shoot. I was so excited! I actually forgot to bring heels with the dress, so I had to do it barefoot and try to hide my feet in the photos. We were there for a long time, and it was freezing cold outside, but it was definitely worth it!! When I saw my pictures, they turned out better than I even expected they would. I loved them. When I found out I got featured Angela and I was so excited I could cry. It was amazing.

What will you miss most about high school?
There is a lot I will miss about high school. I have always loved getting to go to school and get outside of the house. I love getting to see all my friends and learn new things. I love the challenging parts of high school that really make me push myself. The thing I will miss the most though is leaving all my friends. I love everyone at our school, and we all get along so well, and it is always so much fun even in the stressful times. I am going to miss seeing everyone in class, in lunch, and at practice. I am going to miss that a lot.

What are you looking forward to most after high school?
After high school there are a lot of things I am going to miss but a lot of things I am going to look forward to as well. I am just excited to get my life started and meet new people and start somewhere new. It is going to be exciting going somewhere new and I am excited to start working towards getting into nursing school. I am also excited because I am planning on staying at home so I will still get to live with my parents and see my friends from high school.

Where would your friends say we'd find you and what would you be doing if you had no responsibilities for the day?
My friends would tell you I would be at home with my mom. Whenever I have no responsibilities or plans, I am so excited to just sit on the couch and watch shows and movies with my mom. My mom is my best friend, and I am closer with her than I am with most people. It is so relaxing and stress relieving when I know I can stay at home for the day with nothing to worry about with my mama.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why?
If I could travel anywhere, it would probably be back to Ohio for a while so I could see my family and all of my old friends. I miss them so much and when I lived there my whole family would come over almost every weekend and we would have bonfires and just hang out. I am super close with my family and my cousins, and they are my favorite people. It is so sad that I never get to see them anymore so if I got the opportunity, I would take it.

This image was taken by life touch photos the day I got announced as homecoming queen!

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​Tell us about your homecoming court experience.
Homecoming was an unbelievable and unforgettable experience. I have watched previous years of homecoming come and go and would always imagine getting to walk out there in a princess dress and always dream to do that but never thought I would be able to. When the time came to vote for who got to be on the court, I thought about running but learned we were not allowed to campaign for it so I did not think I would have a chance. I mentioned it to some of my friends though and talked to them about how I wanted to do it. The next week I was sitting in class, and they went over the intercom and announced the five princesses on the court, and I was one of them! I was so shocked, and my class congratulated me. When I was walking out on the field that day, I was so blessed I even got the opportunity to do that, I was honestly not even thinking about the fact I could get queen. I do not think anyone ever really thinks they are going to get it. I was the last to walk out so when I got there everything happened so fast and they announced I won. The whole cheer team ran up to me surrounding me and all I could hear was the crowd cheering. I cried about 10 times that night. I will never forget that moment.

What was the hardest part of being a teen in covid-19?
The hardest part of being a teen during covid-19 is missing out on a whole year of high school. We were not going to school and I was trying to take calculus and chemistry online which was super difficult. On top of that I never got to see my friends and my cheer season got pushed back super far. We did not even get to have a homecoming dance that year. It was hard knowing if you were to go out and happen to get someone sick you could take their life. Nobody wanted to risk it. I could not drive for a while after my 16th birthday either because of covid and appointments being booked so far. You can really not just pick one thing when it comes to how covid has affected people. I am so glad it is starting to calm down even though it is still definitely an issue.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Angela pretty much covered most of it up for me! I moved here from Ohio right before high school and it was really hard at first as I faced some challenges and was struggling to fit in. I have learned to kill people with kindness over the years though and the best thing you can do is work hard and be yourself!

If you were to present a topic to a group of your peers, what would it?
I would talk about personality disorders or dreams. I find personality disorders so fascinating, especially dissociative personality disorders. I also love the idea of dreams and how they work. Pretty much just the brain in general is so amazing to me and I think it’s crazy all the stuff we are capable of. We don’t even know everything yet!

Look for Cameron in issue 54 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

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click here for more information on issue 54

click here to nominate an inspiring teen