Suggestions for my Daughter as she enters HS Junior Year

Greetings all,

This may have been addressed elsewhere but I couldn’t find anything. My daughter is extremely passionate about marine biology and we are blessed to live in FL where she has lots of options. As she enters her junior year of HS, what would you recommend. She recently did UF’s SHORE camp and loved the research side of things (surprising for a 16 year old).

My question is: if you were to put yourself into an 11th graders shoes, what would be the steps you’d take to get where you are?

Some sample questions: Does she need to be concerned about which school/program she chooses? Is it more about who you know than what you know? Is it worth considering out of state options or alternative majors or minors?

I am open to answering any questions that come to mind or need more discussion. For background she is on track to be her class’s valedictorian, plays multiple sports, is president of the schools national honor society and 4H club, and was the sophomore class rep. I don’t say these things to brag, just to point our her incredible work ethic as we have never “pushed“ her into any of these roles but are glad to help her research and make wise decisions. I know that this is the time where the rubber really meets the road and would love some help from you, the experts in the field with real world experience.

It’s worth noting that we are not in a financial position to send her to a private school, and will likely be leaning on scholarships, etc. so any suggestions there are greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this long message and provide any help you can.