There are certain times in life when you just couldn’t get any prouder.

My wife and I had one of those moments this week when we checked on our son’s ACT score and were pleasantly surprised. Actually we were ecstatic.

My wife called me at work and gave me the good news. I had to close the door to my office for a few minutes as we celebrated. Then I sent him an angry looking text message to throw him off guard. When he finally called me he was nervous and thought he had done poorly. After several incorrect guesses he took a wild one and got it right. He was shocked and nearly speechless. Then I could hear him telling his friends.

Our son, like most teenagers, is full of potential but lacks motivation. When I was his age I wasn’t very interested in academic pursuits, I had other interests that demanded my attention. I played on traveling baseball teams, surfed and pursued social networking. School was something I did in between those things. It wasn’t until much later in life that I buckled down and got serious about education.

This week has been full of new possibilities for Scott as he begins to realize the possibilities that lie ahead of him. It took him several days to get over the shock of his score. Then we sat down with him and asked him those questions that every junior in high school should be asked. What do you want to study in college, where do you want to go and what do you want to do with the rest of your life were some of the questions we asked. It’s hard for a teenager to think that far down the road.

He got on the computer and started to research colleges and their admission processes. For instance, he discovered that the University of Virginia has very high academic and acceptance standards. Nearly 30,000 apply to college every year and only approximately 8,000 make the cut. Out of those, 3,500 are first year students.

While a plethora of possibilities opened up to him the realization that the world is ultra competitive also came into focus. Maybe the things that my wife and I try to get him to understand will finally sink in. It takes hard work, determination and focus to succeed. Anything is possible if you work hard at it.

Congratulations Scott, we couldn’t be prouder of you.

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Paul Barry is the managing editor and can be reached by email at paul.barry@vicksburgpost.com or by phone at 601-636-4545 ext. 123