Conor Levins, a 17 year-old Ola High School senior, has a great passion for learning, be it in school or in developing the skills required to participate in a sport or learning to play an instrument.

  Described by his mother, Christi Levins, as possessing a “quiet confidence,” she stated that learning has always been easier for him.

  “Things do come much easier for Conor because he has an exceptional memory and he has a love of learning, He always has,” said Christi.

  Over the years, Conor has attempted and mastered a variety of things through many hours of practice and dedication.

  At age nine, Conor began taking karate lessons.

  “I was switching between a lot of extracurriculars at the time. My parents signed me up for it, but that was the one that I really stuck with and that I had a really big passion for. It was something I really enjoyed doing,” said Conor.

  By age 13, he had become a black belt.

  “I picked it up fairly well for a kid my age. Most people wouldn’t get it until they are about 15 or 16,” said Conor. “So I was able to get my black belt and teach classes before I was even 14.”

  Although he stopped classes at age 14, he still practices karate at home.

  Most recently, however,  he has managed to become extremely proficient at playing the guitar.

  “I got a guitar for Christmas when I was 13 and didn’t want to do it at all. And then I wanted to try it [guitar] again at 15. My parents said you have to do it yourself. So I saved up money and got myself a guitar. All my parents did was sign me up for lessons,” said Conor.

  Once a week, for about a year, he would attend 30 minute guitar lessons. Over time and with a lot of practice, he excelled.

  “I kept up with it. I think the fact that I had to actually do it on my own … really made me see the value of it and realize how important it was,” said Conor. “It became something that I’ve really enjoyed over this past year.”

  Nathan Adamson, Conor’s guitar instructor and co-owner of McDonough Music, stated that he has become his “best advanced student ever.”

  In the 18 years he has been teaching guitar lessons, Adamson expressed that he has not previously taught a student like Conor.

  “He’s a very focused student. He advanced through his books faster than any other student that I’ve ever had,” said Adamson.

  Since beginning to play guitar, Conor has progressed to the point of no longer being able to take guitar lessons from Adamson.

  “He’s not professional level, but he’s getting real close to being that,” said Adamson.

  Although he no longer takes formal guitar lessons, Conor still enjoys playing guitar in his free time. His favorite music to play is 60’s and 90’s music.

  “I’m going to stick with it for a long time,” said Conor.

  At Ola High School, Conor is involved in the National Honors Society, Technological Student Association and the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society.

  Levins is a straight A student, his favorite subjects being science and history.

  In his downtime, Conor enjoys watching old movies, reading books, and going outside.

  “The simple things,” stated Conor.

  After high school, Conor hopes attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to major in civil engineering and minor in design.

  After graduating college, Conor hopes to one day make improvements to city roads.

  “I want to make city roads the most efficient that they could possibly be. There are so many ideas and theories that are out there. Somebody at some point has got to come up with an idea that’s going to make it the best and I want to try and be that person,” said Conor.

  Conor’s mother, Christi, stated that she is excited to see what the future has in store for her son.   “I know he’s going to do something awesome. We are proud of him no matter what. I know whatever he chooses to do will be great because it’s what he chose to do. History shows, he will put everything into it. Whatever it is, he will give it everything he has,” said Christi.