Step into room 706 and it’s more likely than not a bright bundle of energy will immediately grab your attention. Comfortably sitting on a weathered leather couch with “chill dad music” playing in her earbuds, you are about to meet the passionate, hardworking, hilarious, and certified crazy cat, Bebe Staton.
Creation is a constant in Bebe’s life, she says, “I’ve always considered myself art-focused…I’d call myself a creative.” Art-focused is an understatement, whether it’s her cohesive Instagram grid, her extensive work with Enloe Yearbook or the music she plays and listens to, art is in everything Bebe touches.
Circa Bebe’s eighth-grade year, her interest in photography got her a ticket to Enloe’s Yearbook staff. At the time this made her an oddity, as freshmen were not normally accepted into the class. “My neighbor was at the time an editor…they said oh I know you like to take photos would you be interested in joining the yearbook and I said, ‘ummm yeah’…So they botched the rule and they interviewed me!” That’s not to say Bebe wasn’t qualified, she had valuable experience on the Ligon yearbook team and was already a seasoned photographer in her own right.
As it turns out, Bebe’s passion for yearbook would guide her towards her future career path, “I’ve always been interested in taking photos…But once I started [yearbook] I started getting really into the graphic design portion…I joined the Academy of Creative Design…and I’m probably going to be going to NC State for graphic design…that’s been my pathway.”
Throughout her Enloe yearbook career, Bebe would become an indispensable part of the team, this year marking her second year as an Editor. As fellow Editor Wiley Patterson says, “Bebe brings an energy to the classroom that nobody else can match…that energy is super important to building a book that everybody can be proud of.”
In middle school she made a decision that would change her life forever, Bebe joined Beginning Band. Thus began her journey to trumpet mastery. After quickly moving through the ranks of Ligon’s band department, she was whisked away to a national competition. “That was my send-off into music, we were going off to Chicago and I had been in Beginning Band just two months ago.” Come high school, her love for the trumpet did not go away. This past marching band season she had the opportunity to fill the position of brass captain. As captain, she directed the brass section through sectionals and guided their rehearsals.
Music expands further than the arduous months of Enloe marching band for Bebe, “It’s really nice to expand music to other things…it’s fun to do everything.” In recent years she has participated in the Triangle Brass Band, Enloe’s symphony orchestra, and wind ensemble. She speaks fondly of the friendships music has given her, “It’s a really great community.”
How did this girl come to be? Well, Bebe’s family is full of artsy do-gooders who shaped her into the person she is today. Her mom has always been a leader and an advocate for what she believes is right, “She’s always been doing the right thing, it’s definitely influenced me in my sympathy and who I want to be. I definitely got my people pleasing from her…she inspires me to be the best.” Bebe’s natural artistic instinct, though, comes from her dad’s side. “[He’s] very musically gifted, we’re always making music together.” This combination created someone who can only be described as, in close friend Mary Addison Askew’s words, “…literally the most caring person I’ve ever met.” Even better, Mary Addison predicts her friend will “…definitely be the best grandma ever. I know she’s gonna be such a good one.”
More than a bob cut, a leader, or an awesome future grandma, Bebe Staton is unapologetic. Mary Addison says it best, “She brightens up every room she walks into and always knows how to make someone laugh…Everyone needs a Bebe in their life! She’s the reason I’ve learned to stay positive when times are hard…I couldn’t tell you one thing about her I’d change.”
From everyone at The Eagle’s Eye, good luck Bebe, with wherever your ambitions take you.
