James Brower, an 18-year-old senior at Shelby County High School, is Shelby County Reporter Student of the Week.

He was chosen for the honor by SCHS counselor Trena Carr.

&8220;His teachers describe him as being very kindhearted and dependable,&8221; Carr said.

She said James is &8220;the kind of student that the faculty and students speak of fondly.&8221;

&8220;He demonstrates good citizenship and leadership qualities and just recently earned the honor of Eagle Scout. We are very proud that he is a Shelby County Wildcat,&8221; Carr said.

James is the only child of Dale and Sandra Brower of Wilsonville.

He is the grandson of Ed and Nora Busby of Wilsonville and Aselee Brower of Gardendale.

Brower has a bright future ahead of him with plans to become an orthodontist.

&8220;I want to be my own boss, first of all,&8221; James said, &8220;and I want to work indoors &8212; out of the elements.&8221;

He said he&8217;s always been interested in dentistry, specifically, orthodontics.

His favorite subject in his time at Shelby County High will serve him well in the future.

James said he enjoyed the Advanced Placement Chemistry class that he took as a junior.

&8220;I liked it because it&8217;s very hands-on with the experiments we did,&8221; he said. &8220;Plus, it&8217;s got math involved and I love math.&8221;

James said he has enjoyed many of the teachers he&8217;s had throughout his school career but one that stands out is his Junior ROTC instructor Maj. Aurelio Garcia.

&8220;He taught me confidence in myself and how to be a leader,&8221; James said. &8220;He really made an impression on me.&8221;

Brower was involved in the JROTC during his freshman, sophomore and junior years.

He also recently earned his Eagle Scout designation.

During November, James said, he built steps at the Wilsonville ballpark.

&8220;Before, you had to walk down a grassy hill to get to the restrooms. It was slippery at the best of times, especially when it was cold and rainy,&8221; he said. &8220;Now, there are steps, so you&8217;re less likely to fall.&8221;

James said he had been a Boy Scout since he was in the eighth grade and was excited to have reached the culmination of the scouting program.

Brower is involved in numerous groups on the SCHS campus including the Wildcat TV staff, the cross country team and the tennis team.

He said he also enjoys whitewater rafting, especially down the Ocoee River, and snow skiing.

&8220;I went snow skiing for the first time with my church to Boone, N.C.,&8221; he said. &8220;I loved it.&8221;

James said he also loves to play Air Soft, which, he said, is &8220;like paintball but without the paint.&8221;

In pursuit of his career in orthodontics, James plans to get his bachelor&8217;s degree from Troy University and then attend dental school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

To incoming freshmen at SCHS, he offers some advice.

&8220;The main thing is to get involved,&8221; James said. &8220;Don&8217;t just go to school and go home. Get to know people. It will make the time here better.

&8220;And, hang out with the right people. Don&8217;t get involved with people who are going to get you in trouble.&8221;