Tory Spruill will travel to Richmond, Virginia this fall to attend Virginia Commonwealth University and study photography. Her first year at Richmond will consist of art foundation classes, where Spruill plans to expand her skills and, possibly, widen her horizons when it comes to her career path.

“My dad is a VCU alumni, and he knows a lot about their arts program. His side of the family is also only an hour away from Richmond,” she said.

She looks forward to meeting new people, traveling to new places and learning more about her passion, the arts. “Richmond is also a really nice community, and the city isn’t too overwhelming.”

Spruill said some of her favorite memories lie in the LHS marching band. She was a co-captain of the color guard with Class of 2017 member Melissa Darling. “I made a lot of close friends in band that I’ll always have after graduation.”

She was also an editor for The Lance and president of the National English Honor Society, “After being a part of journalism and NEHS here at LHS, I know I’ll want to participate in the student newspaper of VCU.”

Her advice for underclassmen is to “be yourself and don’t be afraid to try new things. It was how I met my closest friends.”

Spruill thanks her parents, who helped her decide exactly what she wanted to study. “Anything I learned in photography is pretty much self-taught since I only took one photo class at LHS. My dad also inspired me when he picked up the camera when I was still in middle school.”

Lancer Media is covering where members of the Class of 2017 will be heading next year. This year’s theme is “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. If you would like to be featured come to room C203.