Twelve years ago, a young boy whose favorite things were the zoo and mysteries took his first step into a classroom. Now, he’s a graduating senior who has excelled exceptionally over his thirteen years of education.
When asked about his most impactful time at Millbrook, Porter immediately responded with his involvement in the school yearbook. Yearbook is a three-year-long application-based class. Since his sophomore year, he’s been on the staff, working his way up all the way to Co-Editor in Chief of Yearbook. Being an editor is a huge accomplishment and responsibility. He’s responsible for overseeing the spreads, taking interviews, and the overall structure of the book. His initial interest in being involved with yearbooks was simply a desire to be involved: “I took a sports photography class in middle school and still like it a lot, so when I learned about yearbooks, I thought it was something I could be good at.” As he described his time in the class, he highlighted his surprise at how much he enjoyed it. Even his classmates joked about their surprise with him now reaching a leadership position, “ I literally never would’ve thought he would be editor, if you asked me this three years ago I probably would’ve laughed!.”, said Ella Moore.
Aside from his leadership, Porter has also shown up scholarly. He amassed over 50k in merit-based scholarships. A very impressive feat that will take him far into h
igher education. When asked for tips, “Keep shooting at it. I’ve applied for a lot of scholarships, and I only got two of them. Whatever the saying is, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so just keep at it, and you’ll eventually get it.” Porter inherited his drive from his parents. He described how they always emphasized the importance of being involved and keeping his grades up, as that’s a foundation for building a good career. Porter has also won several accolades over the past four years: the 2025 AP Scholar Award, the 2025 College Board Registration Program: School Recognition Award, and this year, during junior year he was inducted into the prestigious Millbrook Service Club; all while being a part of the International Baccalaureate Program.
His hard work paid off, UNCW Honors College is waiting for him this fall. Porter will be majoring in poly-sci, which is a recent shift. “I wanted to be a zoologist for a while, and now I want to be a lawyer.” His long-time classmates laughed in unison at this remark; the zoologist was “a very Porter response” in their words. When asked why a zoologist for so long, “I really don’t know why, I used to have a lot of pets, and just really have loved animals, and visits to the zoo & aquariums. I then realized how much zoologists get paid and quickly moved on to lawyer.” However, law is not such a far-fetched career for him; he’s been a big fan of shows like Law & Order, and has always followed crime cases closely. When asked if he has a favorite case, his eyes immediately lit up, “The O.J. Simpson one, that’s my favorite.” Porter hopes to be a criminal defense lawyer; all those long binges of Law & Order will finally pay off!
Senior year is sentimental for all. Porter, especially, has done a lot of reflecting with an overall theme of fulfillment. His top Millbrook moment was being inducted into the Service Club. He talked about how his whole family was there supporting him. “Coach East said we broke the record of most people attending a ceremony!” He comes from a very tight-knit, game-night type of family. Their support has been instrumental in his high school success. As an older brother with lots of cousins, he’s learned how to be a leader and set the standard for success. When prompted by the question of his most surprising Millbrook moment, he said reaching editor status in Yearbook, “Going into it, I thought it would just be a fun thing to be involved in; I never expected it to get to this point, but I’m really glad it did.” Kennedy Rivers, classmate and friend of 3 years, speaks fondly of her time working with him, “He never fails to make others laugh, even on the hard days when we’re rushing on a deadline or figuring out a last-minute solution. I’m just so glad I’ve gotten to be on staff with him.”
Porter’s presence will be missed at Millbrook, but his spirit-filled attitude has set the tone for the uprising Wildcats! Millbrook can’t wait to see all that Porter will do.
