Charlie Higginbotham, Class of 2026 at Garza Independent High School in Austin
Meet Charlie
Charlie Higginbotham’s best friend summed him up in one word: soliloquy. A soliloquy is when a character speaks their inner thoughts out loud, usually alone on stage. That’s not a word most people would pick, but it’s exactly right for someone with this much going on internally. He’s emotionally mature, quietly funny, and perpetually mistaken for someone who doesn’t want to make friends. He does. He just also knows how to be by himself.
He dresses like Adam Sandler by choice and stands by it. His perfect day is sleeping until noon, playing video games with friends, and laughing until his mom tells him to stop.
He’s heading to ACC for a year, then transferring to Randolph College in Virginia to study child psychology. For someone who lists emotional maturity as the thing he loves most about himself, that makes complete sense.
Charlie’s Senior Photo Locations
We rescheduled this session twice for rain and got turned away once when Hope Outdoor Gallery closed because of storms. When we finally made it happen, it was worth every reschedule. Charlie brought stuffed animals and a blanket he used to carry everywhere as a kid to his session. We started at Hope Outdoor Gallery, surrounded by layers of color and art that shifted the whole energy of the session. Then we headed to a quieter spot nearby where the sidewalk has broken off into the Colorado River, and another area just steps away with open views of the water. It’s one of those locations that doesn’t feel like Austin.
A Little More About Charlie
His color palette is pale. His superpower would be teleportation, but only to places he can already picture in his mind, starting with his own childhood, just to watch it. The photo he loves most is one with his sister from Halloween because of how far the two of them have come together.
Charlie’s Perfect Day
Noon wake up, Bleach on in the background, Pirate’s Booty and Ritz crackers within reach, video games with friends, and laughing until mom starts yelling at him to stop. If he could spend a day as any movie character it would be Ferris Bueller, which tracks completely.
Stepping Away and Stepping In
Charlie named this chapter “Stepping Away and Stepping In.” He wanted these photos to feel like a true picture of who he is, moving away from what didn’t serve him and toward what does. That’s exactly what they are.
