Q: Do you expect to have a higher standard of living than your parents?
"Yes, simply because of the opportunities that are available now, the new fields of work, the higher education standards and the ambition I put into pursuing my dreams."
-- David Enicks, Red Bank High
"I am very optimistic that I will have a higher standard of living than my parents. Parents always want better for their kids, and they will sacrifice anything to make that happen. This is the case with my parents."
-- Jackie Blake Tate, Richard Hardy Memorial
"Financial gain is not my goal. However, the nature of the career I am planning on having, nursing, will likely make more than what my dad makes as a pastor or my mom makes as a Christian schoolteacher."
-- Lydia Huguenin, Berean Academy
"Having a higher standard of living is not something I expect. Sure, having more money and more expensive things would be nice, but I don't see those things as a necessity for success or happiness."
-- Sarah Johnson, Northwest Whitfield High
Q: With the recent bombings in Boston and shootings in Newton, Conn., do you feel confident or concerned when you look to the future?
"You can't help but feel concerned when you hear about the bombings and other things going on in this world, but God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. My faith is in him, and it's firm and confident, so I'm not worried."
-- Erin Hill, Sale Creek High
"I feel more confident as I look to the future. I believe that the recent bombings in Boston and shooting in Newtown has made us more united as a country and more efficient on solving these types of cases to prevent future happenings."
-- Srisai Medisetti, Center for Creative Arts
"I have lost confidence in the safety of the United States. As technology improves, so do weapons that pose threats to our safety ... Those who have no regard for the safety of others will not be stopped with laws and threats. I fear for the future of our nation, and I ardently pray that I am wrong."
-- Renee Stullich, Soddy-Daisy High
"Though our world is becoming increasingly hostile, I am still confident in mankind."
-- Mary Ellen Sandlin, Scottsboro High