For the past three years, Herrin High School has presented the Student of the Month award to four outstanding individuals each month who demonstrate the traits of a Herrin Tiger. The highlighted trait for April is perseverance, which is the ability to keep pushing through something even when it gets hard.
Students that got voted for showing perseverance are Parker Coop (12), Asher Barlage (11), Garrett Grant (10), and Esmeralda Aguilar (9).
Parker defines perseverance as “pushing through when it is hard and when you don’t want to.” He shared that during his senior year, he has faced challenges such as “getting into credit recovery while being a straight A student,” showing that even strong students can run into obstacles.
He believes that “people need to be able to persevere through things even if it is hard,” and credits his parents as a major influence in his life because “my mom and dad show perseverance and that has been one of my leading examples in life.” Parker also recognizes staff members who model this trait, saying, “Ms. Goetting has shown the most perseverance in my life… through managing all of the journalism things and Mr. and Mrs. HHS counting those ballots.”
Asher describes perseverance as “to go forward when things are hard because there is going to be something better at the end.” He believes that challenges are often not as big as they seem, explaining, “Sometimes things can seem harder than they are and in reality it is actually not.
”For Asher, perseverance is about trusting the process and continuing forward even when things feel difficult, knowing that effort now leads to success later. Perseverance is clearly shown in many different ways by these students, whether it is through school challenges, personal growth, or everyday obstacles. Each of them demonstrates what it means to keep going, even when things get tough.
Garrett defines perseverance as “to push through any hard obstacle that gets in your way.” He shared a personal example from school, explaining, “I had a project and I tried one thing and tried to glue something on and I spent a whole week trying to find a way around that road block.”
He also connects perseverance to attitude and mindset, saying he has learned “not letting the bad stuff get to you and controlling your attitude” and that “eventually there is success, good is going to come.” Garrett says his father is a strong example of this trait because “my dad shows perseverance because he got fired from his job and did not let it get to him.”
Esmeralda describes perseverance as “to complete what you’re trying to do and not stopping until you succeed.” For her, it shows up in everyday effort, especially when learning and improving. She explains, “I have persevered in trying to learn new skills and tricks in flag,” proving that growth takes patience and repetition.
She also believes perseverance gives purpose, saying, “It gives you a goal to work towards,” and emphasizes the importance of staying committed: “Not giving up on the thing that I am preserving through.” Esmeralda says her biggest influences are “my family and my team,” and she also recognizes leadership from “Mr. Lewis my band director” who has shown her what perseverance looks like in action.
