Stephanie Green applied to five colleges. And when it came down to the final analysis, Clemson University won out just about the same time she stepped on campus.

Green, 18, is the salutatorian of the class of 2008. And as such, she’ll be required to address her classmates. But graduation, while she said she sees it as a big deal, will be one more step towards her future.

“I’ve always liked change,” Green said. “And going to Clemson and leaving Goochland is one change I’m really looking forward to.”

One of John and Ruth Green’s five children, Stephanie is the next to youngest. And while her siblings may not have enjoyed moving around over the years like she did, she says she’s always enjoyed it.

“I’m a social person,” she added. “And moving always gave me a chance to make new friends and meet different kinds of people.”

Green is involved in a little of everything. On the one hand, she’s a three-year team captain of the tennis team at GHS, having been involved in the program since the eighth grade. But on the other hand, she’s a volunteer EMT at Co. 6 in Hadensville and works locally at Dawson’s Pharmacy.

That she plans to go into medicine shouldn’t come as a shock, given her interests.

“I want to work in a hospital,” she said, noting that she plans to major in biology at Clemson. “Once I set my mind to something, that’s what I’m going to do. And being a doctor has been on my mind for a long time.”

Clemson wasn’t exactly where she always envisioned herself.

“My family has always been fans of the University of Virginia, but the more information I gathered and the more I learned, the more UVA moved down the list,” she said.

In fact, Green ultimately applied to five schools—Virginia, Texas, South Carolina, Western Carolina, and Clemson. She was accepted to all and once she visited Clemson, Green knew her choice was made.

“It is a lot like Goochland,” she said. “It’s got that small-town feel but there’s so much to do. Plus, it’s beautiful. I just fell in love with it.”

Even though it didn’t have the pre-med program, it did have a good pre-professional program, which was enough for Green.

“I think I can find everything I need down there,” she said. “Not only on the academic side but it’s a beautiful campus and I’m looking forward to it being 70 or 80 degrees in March.”

It helps that Clemson has already given her an academic scholarship that will put her on the level of tuition costs as in-state students, a savings of roughly $50,000.

As to her speech for this week’s graduation, Green said Monday afternoon that she had thought about it to some degree. But she wasn’t exactly looking forward to delivering it.

“Even though I’m a pretty social person, speaking in public just isn’t one of my things,” she said with a smile.

Her social skills helped her snag a roommate, though.

“My roommate, Brittany, and I met on Facebook and found we had a lot of the same interests, like tennis,” Green said. “We were both going to go the random route but were happy to find somebody we at least kind of know.”

Either way, Green is the type of person who doesn’t meet many strangers.

“I’m looking forward to getting down there and starting the next chapter,” she added.