Soon-to-be Model High graduate Ciara Coleman is ready to move, she said.

“I’ll admit, I am going from a small school to a big, big school, and that is a huge move, but I am ready,” she said.

Coleman will attend University of Georgia in the fall and she plans to study psychology, but hasn’t quite decided on a career path, she said.

“I’m still debating what to do,” she said. “I’ve worked with Skills for Life, which is occupational therapy, and I have really enjoyed that. I am also thinking about forensic psychology, but that would take longer, because I’d have to get a doctorate.”

She chose psychology because it is a broad field, she said.

“I’m not really sure yet what I want to do, so this is good for me,” she explained. “I have time to explore my options.”

Her choice of UGA was not based on football, she noted.

“I am not a football girl, and I don’t have a family history with the school,” she said, laughing. “I was accepted into two other schools, but after I visited them and then visited UGA, I just felt it was the most professional program. And Athens is a beautiful city, so I chose to stay in Georgia.”

The tuition break and being closer to home didn’t hurt, either, she admits.

“I really did want to be closer to home,” she said. “Staying in the state makes the tuition easier. Plus, it is really competitive to get in, so it is an honor to be able to attend UGA.”

Coleman knows she will miss Model, especially her teachers.

“Most kids are saying they are going to miss their friends, but I know I am going to miss my teachers,” she said, laughing. “I mean, I will miss friends, too, but the Model teachers have really been like family to me.”

Her teachers, from Johnson Elementary School up through Model Middle and Model High, have made big impressions on her, she said.

“I have always been so comfortable here,” she said. “I have these go-to teachers that I know are always there for me. It is like I am leaving my school moms and dads.”

This self-described perfectionist credits a teacher with pointing her towards her chosen field.

“Actually, I started out thinking I wanted a career in journalism,” she said. “I started rethinking because I know what I would want to write — breaking news and social issues — would be something I would have to work up to. I also want to be in a career with a lot of security and somewhere I can make a difference.”

When a teacher realized Coleman enjoyed her work with Skills for Life so much, the teacher recommended she try a psychology course.

“I just had a great connection with it,” Coleman said. “I like working with both kids and adults and I like that it turns into teaching as well, with the diagnostics part. I find it very rewarding. I think journalism is rewarding too, because you get to hear people’s stories, but working with people like I have been at Skills for Life makes me feel good.”

Coleman hopes that her chosen career will be something she loves doing every day.

“I want to look forward to it,” she said. “I want to know that I make a difference.”

While her drive and determination will keep her moving and she is very positive about her transition to college, she knows she will also miss her mother.

“My mom just had a baby, so leaving her is going to be tough,” she said. “But I am ready to get out and experience new things.

“Change is a good thing and I’ve always thought the more you know, the better you are. This move is going to be overwhelming, mostly because of the cost of college and because I will be leaving everyone I know, but I know I am driven enough to make it work.”

GRADUATION

What: Model High School graduation ceremony

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: The Forum