Ashton Goodloe

Central High School

Florence, Alabama

Ashton Goodloe is a senior at Central High School in Florence, Alabama. Ashton is set to finish third in his class. He has taken dual enrollment college classes for two years and excelled in them as well as his high school studies. He will graduate with 32 hours of college credit.

At his school, Ashton plays football. He has been inducted into the National Honor Society. Ashton is vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and was selected to represent Central High School for Boys State at Troy University.

Ashton also participates in an excellent high school program called Peers for Life. High school is an important period of time in an adolescent’s life. It is at this time that students make decisions about their courses and future educational and career plans. It is also the time when parental authority is being challenged by peer pressure. The influence of peers can be both positive and negative. On the positive side, it can serve as an important incentive for adolescents to perform well in school. On the negative side, peer influence can lead to discipline problems and delinquent behaviors both inside and outside school. Thus, the values of peers can play an important role in students’ educational experiences and outcomes.

In his community, Ashton is a long-time volunteer with Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities. He also collects items for the homeless in the Florence area. Ashton and one of his friends, Chase Palmer, raised $1,200 dollars for their birthdays and donated the money to Children’s of Alabama, a leading children’s hospital in Birmingham.

Ashton was participating in football spring training during summer workout before his freshman year. During practice, he fell and broke both of his knees. He was rushed to Children’s of Alabama for emergency surgery that very day. After the surgery, he was unable to bend his legs for months until they healed, and he went through physical therapy. Football was his life, and he was understandably devastated. Despite his depression, Ashton set his mind to months of healing, physical therapy and home-schooling. His dedicated efforts succeeded. Not only was Ashton able to walk again, but he had maintained his grades during this healing period. He returned to Central High School for his junior and senior years.

Ashton’s injury may have knocked him down, but it certainly didn’t keep him down. He met the physical and academic challenges head on, and emerged from these trials stronger and more accomplished than ever. Ashton is a remarkable young man – and for his courage and determination in the face of an unexpected hardship, Alabama Public Television proudly presents Ashton Goodloe as one of the five Young Heroes of Alabama for 2023.