Senior Spotlight: Skylar Logan

Skylar Logan’s transformation between her freshman year at Western Guilford High School to now might seem remarkable to an outsider.  

She wasn’t necessarily a troubled teen, but she was getting into trouble for minor infractions and her academic performance was unremarkable. Her grades were okay, but they could have been better. Her teachers could tell that she wasn’t trying very hard and that her friends at the time weren’t a positive influence on her. Logan’s teachers and administrators at Western Guilford saw her potential before she realize it herself. It was clear that she was smart — even wise for her years.  

Logan recalls one teacher telling her in ISS (in-school suspension) that she was a bright student and shouldn’t be there. Her mother and many of her teachers that year told her that she could do better. Their words finally resonated, and Logan returned for her sophomore year ready to get to work. She graduated on June 13, as an A-student with 90 service learning hours and a total of $40,000 in college scholarships. She will attend UNC-Greensboro, where she plans to major in psychology and communications studies. Her first two years there are fully covered. 

“I had to really self-reflect and think about who I am and what I want,” Logan says. “Do I regret all those choices (from freshman year)? I don’t. I feel like it was a lesson learned, because if I didn’t go through that in ninth grade, I feel like I wouldn’t be here today.” 

Logan carries herself with a poise and maturity that makes her seem older than she is. But like a lot of teens, she started high school just wanting to fit in.  

She and her mother moved from Shelby to Greensboro in 2019 for her mother’s new nursing job. Leaving her friends behind and starting over at a new school can be daunting for many rising middle-schoolers. 

“I was pretty nervous about it,” she recalls. 

Shelby is also a smaller, rural, town. By comparison, Greensboro felt like a big city, she says. She made friends easily, however, because of her outgoing personality. But then the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted her momentum socially. When in-person learning returned, it was time for her to transition to high school — without having had much of a middle school experience.  

Logan, who was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 8-years-old, also struggles with anxiety. In her freshman year, those manifested in sometimes making the wrong choices in order to fit in socially.  

“Ninth grade was really a struggle of finding out who my friends were and just finding myself, as well,” she says. “Middle school and high school didn’t really come together because of COVID, so it was also hard to find myself.” 

Feeling like “the new girl,” can make someone who’s already anxious even more so.  

“People are trying to figure out who I am and I’m trying to figure out the little groups. My mom always said, ‘You need to surround yourself with people who get their work done.’ And I’m like, ‘No, that’s not who I want to be around. I want to be around people who have fun,’ And that’s what I surrounded myself with — people who have fun,” she says.  

She applied herself enough to complete assignments, but she didn’t challenge herself further. 

“There were a lot of pep talks from my school administrators and especially my mom because they know I’m better than that.” Logan says. “It was kind of getting a little embarrassing because I’m getting in trouble a lot and that’s not who I am.” 

Timothy Reagin, Logan’s junior year AP U.S. History teacher, now describes her as a well-rounded and high achieving student.  

“During her time at Western Guilford High, Skylar has demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience,” he notes in her referral for graduation recognition. “While her freshman year was a period of self-discovery and some social and academic missteps, Skylar underwent a transformative summer before her sophomore year.”  

In his class, he observed her as hard-working, intellectually curious and dedicated to learning.  

“Skylar’s journey is a testament to the power of self-reflection and personal growth,” he continues.” She has overcome adversity, embraced her potential and is now poised for a successful future in college and beyond. Her story is a reminder that students have a capacity to shape their own destinies and we are incredibly proud of her accomplishments.” 

 As she looks forward to becoming a UNCG Spartan, Logan says the most important thing she’s learned is that the desire to succeed comes from within. 

“In the real world, nobody’s really going to be on you to get better,” she says. “You have to get better for yourself.”