THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406210195
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH: Medium
Whenever her friends at Booker T. Washington High School tried convincing her a grade of ``C'' was OK, Gore wouldn't buy it. To this honor student, anything less than an ``A'' has always meant failure.
{REST} Those ``As'' she racked up during her high school career didn't always come easily. She spent countless hours studying while her friends played.
Admittedly not a partying type, Gore never strayed from her goal. Now, she is graduating as one of the top students in her class academically.
But this determined teen is already looking at the next step in a ladder that will eventually allow her to help others. After years of listening to her mother tell ``horror stories'' of child abuse encountered while working as a social worker, the teenager has decided she has to find some way to help.
For this 18-year-old, the answer is to hit the books harder. She plans to attend Virginia Commonwealth University next fall and major in pre-law. Eventually, Gore wants to practice domestic law and specialize in child abuse cases.
Until then, she is trying to make a difference as a youth minister at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church visiting the sick and invalid, helping out at nursing homes and collecting food and money for the hungry.
``There are so many people who just don't care,'' said Gore, 18. ``People just don't seem to have consciences any more. The attitude I take is that these people are like my family members. I really feel for that person in trouble.''
Her commitment to helping others and getting involved, she said, came from her parents. As the youngest child, she was always taken care of. Now she wants a chance to take care of others.
``My sister is 3 1/2 years older than me, and she always sets a good example in grades,'' said Gore, the daughter of Charles and Sylvia Gore of Poplar Halls. ``From her, I understood early on how important it was to get good grades.
``Ten years from now, I want to be working for a large law firm, somewhere in Virginia, where I can really make a difference in a child's life. I'm ready for it.'' by CNB