Camas High School Senior Cole Allen is excited to finish his high school education in June and go to trade school. For Allen, this past year has been a difficult one. As a student, he faced some real adversity when presented with the task of online learning. Allen considers his learning style to be more physical or hands-on, so remote learning made him have to adapt very quickly.  

Allen said, “The hardest part about remote learning for me has just been self-motivation. I used to look forward to the social aspects like hanging out with my friends.”

He also looked at the situation optimistically.

“I can stay in the comfort of my home. Also, not having to worry about getting up and drive to school every day, which gives me some more free time,” Allen said.

Luckily for him, he just got a new cat and has been devoting his time to it whenever he feels a bit stressed out from all the school work. When Allen is not doing homework, working on his car, or skateboarding he always tries to make a little time for his feline friend.

“I love taking care of my cat, I have made it my passion to play around with my kitty and giving him the best life possible,” Allen said.

One of his favorite hobbies is skateboarding, which he is very passionate about. Allen has been a skater almost his whole life. When Covid hit, skating became a perfect excuse to go outside and take a mental break. 

Allen said, “Skateboarding has always been my passion. I wasn’t going to let Covid take that away from me. I stayed persistent over the years and especially over quarantine I have seen my skills improve drastically.”

“If it wasn’t for skating I don’t know what I would have done to fill my time,” he added.

Some of Allen’s favorite spots for skating are Esther Short Park and Pacific Community Park. 

He said, “I tend to go to these spots with a good friend of mine, Cam Smith. I just love the environment and just being able to close out everything around me.”

The future is pretty clear for Allen after he graduates from CHS in a couple of months. 

“In the future, I am looking forward to graduating from Camas High School. Then, going into trade school and pursuing a trade of some sort,” he said.