Photo By Michael Alexander

Along with juggling all the end of high school craziness and exams, Lauren Barry is pitching in as a wedding planner for 20 couples.

Lauren, who volunteers with Operation Homefront Georgia, is organizing a wedding celebration for soldiers and their loved ones. The organization provides emergency assistance to the soldiers’ families they leave behind and to wounded warriors, according to the Web site.

From flowers and photographers to organizing donated wedding dresses, Lauren has a hand in making memories for these families, many with a spouse deployed overseas.

“The word has gotten out in Columbus. It is crazy. The more people are hearing about it, the more they want to give,” Lauren says about the community support.

She got involved with the nonprofit after attending a welcome home rally for troops back from deployment. A shy person by nature, Lauren says she was so impressed by the soldiers and their families.

“Everyone is so excited. That was really emotional,” she says.

Lauren finishes her four years at Marist School.

“A little scared. I’m not rushing it. Never again,” she says about the end of high school.

In the fall, Lauren heads to Boston. She’ll attend Boston University with a Navy ROTC scholarship. She isn’t looking forward to the weekly 5 a.m. workouts. But she is excited about living in the city where her father grew up.

The youngest daughter of a real estate agent father, Mike, she is interested in the pre-med program with an eye toward becoming a nurse. Her mother, Danise, worked as an emergency room nurse when she met her husband.

“I really like science. I like solving things,” says the 18-year-old, who is also a big Bruce Springsteen fan.

“Do I love Bruce Springsteen? Yes. Do I know every Bruce Springsteen song? Yes,” she says. By the end of April, she had seen 14 of his concerts.

At the north Atlanta campus, Lauren is often courtside. She served as the manager for the boys basketball team for three years where she watched the clock, kept stats, and even did a bit of coaching.

Lauren also served in leadership positions at the Marist Pro-Life Club. The small club participates in the annual pro-life Mass and rally in January. Students raise money to help where they can. Lauren says she got involved with the issue both because her mom was adopted and her own Catholic faith.

“Don’t be afraid to get out of your box” are her words of advice for younger students. “Be yourself.”