(ENLARGE)

NEIL MCCRAY

HALLSVILLE — Neil McCray has gotten used to moving around.

The Hallsville High senior has lived in seven different places including College Station, Kaufman, Athens, Whitney, Mount Pleasant, Lindale, and Hallsville throughout his life. His father's occupation is mainly to blame. He works for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and gets transferred quite a bit.

"It was difficult because I had to make new friends everywhere I went," said the 17-year-old, who moved to Hallsville last year. "But you just keep the friends you already got and make more."

McCray's main passion at school is debate. The Hallsville senior devotes at least an hour a day after school — researching on topics and perfecting his craft — and competes at tournaments all over the East Texas area, Dallas and Houston. As a sophomore, McCray served as an alternate debater at the National Forensic League Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. He said he's confident he and his partner will make an impact on the national scene this year.

"We're hopeful," said McCray. "I've got a really awesome partner. Hopefully everything will hold together."

McCray also holds an interest in journalism. He serves as the school newspaper's assistant editor, managing feature and sports stories for the paper.

When the busy teen is not in the newsroom or debate hall, McCray does volunteer work for the National Honor Society. The organization recently participated in "Spirit Week," raising money for shoes for low-income children in the area. McCray also does volunteer work at the Caddo Lake State Park. This past summer, he spent close to 20 hours, picking up trash and assisting with efforts at the site. McCray says he doesn't think twice about helping others in need.

"It's just a commitment to my community," he said. "I think everybody has an obligation to give back."

McCray said his favorite academic subjects in school are history and English because it gives him an opportunity to offer his insights on many issues.

He even is working to establish a "Citizen's Commentary and Criticism Coalition" club at school "just as a group of students who can get together and talk about the government and just what's going on, general policy-wise."

"In math, I can never put my personal opinion or my spin on anything," said the Hallsville senior. "In history and English, I can express myself."

McCray currently is ranked first in his class and has his sights on seizing valedictorian honors. But if the precocious teen is unable to hold onto his position, he won't be too upset.

"I'm really good friends with the person I displaced when I got here," said McCray. "If I don't get it, I'm not going to be disappointed."

McCray's current focus is on college applications. His top schools are Princeton, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown. If he can't get into those schools, McCray will likely attend either Baylor or the University of Texas-Austin.

He said he hopes to study journalism and international relations at Princeton or pre-law at another school. He's interested in owning a "major news source" in the future.

"Right now, my main conflict is I'm having to choose between whether or not I want to be a journalist," he said. "I'm not really sure."

In his spare time, McCray enjoys reading, writing, hiking and conducting research on various topics.

The Hallsville teen offered the following advice to his fellow peers.

"Don't be so worried about what people think," McCray advised.