Names carry weight. For Sha’Mary Maines-May, who goes by Sha, her name signals presence and strength. “It demands that you look at it,” she laughed, deflecting my comment on how it might fit on a senator’s door one day. But she’s quick to clarify how it’s pronounced—Sha, like Shay—because she wants people to get it right. It’s a small detail, but one that says something larger about her: showing up and owning her space matters.

A junior at Centralia High School, Sha is in the thick of what many consider the hardest year of high school. She’s leaning into it with classes that reflect both her love of numbers and her curiosity about career paths. She’s testing her interest in accounting, exploring teaching and cosmetology, and giving herself room to figure it out. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “But then I changed my mind. I also thought about cosmetology because I like doing hair and nails. My mom was going to do that, but she quit when she realized she couldn’t handle the feet part.” Sha laughed at the memory, recognizing how family experiences shape her own explorations.

Family, in fact, is central to her story. Her mother, siblings, grandmother, and close friends are constant sources of support. Most especially, her best friend Adaria, whom she met in eighth grade. “She’s literally my favorite person ever,” Sha said. Together, they’ve built a friendship that feels like family, a reminder that support systems extend beyond bloodlines.

Sports also define Sha’s high school years. She competes in volleyball, but track is where she shines. A sprinter who runs the 100, 200, and 400 meters, she has posted a personal record of 12.34 seconds in the 100—an eye-popping time that leaves most people marveling. “I can’t even tie my shoes that fast,” I joked, and Sha grinned, acknowledging the gift she’s cultivated through hard work. Whether she pursues college sports remains undecided, but the possibility is there. “I think I might do the same sports in college,” she said.

Like many students, Sha balances athletics with work. She’s employed at Walmart in the cosmetics and pharmacy section, where she stocks, sells, and helps customers find what they need. At first, she saw it as just a job, but the truth is, it’s practice for something bigger. “They’re giving people confidence,” I reflected back to her. “You’re helping them feel better about the next 5,000 steps they’re going to take when they leave that place.” Sha paused. “I never thought of it like that,” she said. “But I will now.”

Her work ethic runs deep. Whether she’s sprinting on the track, juggling homework, or putting in long shifts at Walmart, Sha is moving forward with determination. Even when asked what advice she’d give her younger self, she answered with unflinching resolve: “I’d probably just tell her to just suck it up. That’s all you really can do in the world. And just keep pushing. Because if you give up, then you’re like a failure. And if you keep pushing, then you’re pushing yourself to succeed more.”

That clarity comes from a place of humility. For Sha, success isn’t about wealth or status. “Really just being stable,” she explained. “As long as you can support yourself and your family, that’s success.” It’s a grounded vision, born out of watching the people around her work hard and stay committed.

She remembers her first days at Centralia High School with some nerves, but also excitement. Orientation and encouragement from older students helped her feel at home. “They told me, just try new things, be part of everything,” she said. “So I took their advice. That’s really how I should be.”

Looking ahead, Sha doesn’t yet have a shortlist of colleges, but she knows education will be part of her path. Whether she ends up in accounting, cosmetology, teaching, or a different field altogether, the foundation she’s laying at CHS is clear: effort, resilience, and the courage to take ownership of her name, her voice, and her future.

For Centralia High School, Sha’Mary “Sha” Maines-May embodies the pride of the Orphans in her own way: by showing up, by standing tall, and by reminding others that even in the hardest year of high school, there’s strength to be found in family, friends, and the will to keep pushing.