Class of 2025 Senior Stories: Hadley

Posted Date: 05/14/2025

May 14, 2025 – “Basketball taught me it isn't about Chris. It's about how can I help everybody who is on my team.” – Chris Paddock, AISD Stories, Feb. 2023

“My dad was very big on it’s not about you; it’s about what we can do to serve God and serve others,” says Hadley Paddock.

Hadley’s dad, longtime, beloved AISD principal Chris Paddock, passed away in 2023, after spending months in the hospital with ongoing health issues.

She remembers his morning mantra.

“Every morning before school, he would tell my brother and me to make a difference,” says Hadley.

That’s exactly what she intends to do. The Amarillo High senior heads to OU in a few months, where she’ll enter the nursing program.

“Seeing the way the nurses helped my dad and us through the hardest time of our lives is what I want to be able to do for others,” she says.

Hadley’s time at Amarillo High has been filled with clubs, activities and sports. Volleyball, track, four years of basketball, National Honor Society, Student Council, and even Pickleball Club and Disco Club have kept Hadley busy and connected to a family of teachers and friends who supported her when the going got really tough.

“There were times when I've gone and cried in the Student Council closet. Sometimes, it's just what you gotta do, but knowing that you have people who are going to surround you and be there for you and love you through it has been really comforting,” she says.

Now Hadley is ready to learn to be the one comforting others on their darkest days.

“The nurses fought for my dad when he needed it. They made a difference in our lives,” says Hadley. “I want to be that nurse for families that are struggling and be a light in their lives during that dark time.”