By Mary Barringer

What does it mean to love a place? Often, it means trying to capture it, to hold it in our hands as experience and offer it up for another to see in the light of our perspective. To love a place also means to see it for what it can be, and to hold a picture of that promise in our minds.

For Kerra Criddle, these ideals have both literal and metaphorical meaning. In addition to her involvement in BETA Club, FFA, and Student Council, Kerra serves as Meridian’s yearbook photographer, capturing the likenesses of her classmates and peers for memory’s sake. She sees her home as a place for which she is grateful, a part of her, and as a memory she hopes to take with her wherever she goes.

“I don’t want to forget this area,” Kerra says, telling us of her plans to leave in pursuit of an education. Ultimately, she wants to earn a law degree. Kerra says she likes to debate and holds nothing back when talking about her career ambitions. “I want to be a lawyer for kids who need to have their parents back,” she tells us. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”

As Kerra captures the faces of Meridian in her photography, she captures their good-heartedness in her love for the community, she too represents the character of her community.

To love a place can sometimes mean leaving it. To love a place is to be part of its promise.

“I’m prepared to do anything,” says Kerra when asked how she’ll make it to law school, how she’ll make the difference she wants to see. She’s firm in this goal, a photograph of her future already visible to her.