By Hanna Singh
For 14 years, Stephanie Young has inspired and motivated her students, deservedly earning her the title of this year’s Lincoln Parish High School Teacher of the Year. Her dedication to fostering creativity and confidence has had a lasting impact on her students and the community.
Attending college at the age of 15, Young didn’t initially see herself emerging from college as a teacher. Despite dreaming of making a difference as an educator, she didn’t always view teaching as a measure of success. When she started college, she envisioned a more prestigious path, such as becoming a professor.
“I have always, on some level, wanted to be a teacher. As a kid in junior high and high school, I spent a regrettable amount of class time daydreaming about what a teacher who cared could do differently to make school better,” Young said. “But I didn’t want to be a teacher! I wanted to grow up and earn lots of money, and I wanted to be ‘impressive’.”
During college, Young entertained the idea of becoming a teacher and making a difference, but for the most part, she suppressed that desire. After graduating with a degree in English, she pursued a career in publishing in California. Despite her professional success, Young couldn’t shake the feeling that she belonged in a classroom, shaping the lives of students in a meaningful and long-lasting way. Driven by this passion, she eventually returned to school and completed an accelerated post-baccalaureate program to earn her teaching certification. Now, she recognizes that teaching is where she was meant to be all along.
In her early years as a teacher, Young worked at a mid-sized public high school in Massachusetts before pursuing a master’s degree in classics. After completing her graduate studies, she returned to teaching and came back to Louisiana. Young spent three years at the Louisiana School for the Deaf, which she described as an amazing environment with an incredible staff. Following the birth of her daughter, Young moved to Ruston and accepted a position at Choudrant High School. For the past four years, she has been making a positive impact there. Young is loving, teaching, and even learning from her students along the way.
“I’m here because I love my students. I love expanding their horizons and guiding them through their last few years of childhood as they transition into full young adults,” Young said. “I love what they teach me, too; they are so full of life and hope and possibility. I listen to them, and they teach me a lot about resilience and perseverance.”
Young has a passion for inspiring students to explore English and the arts. One of the standout contributions she brings to Choudrant High School is her role as the host of the “Poetry Out Loud” competition. This contest challenges students to memorize and perform two or three poems in front of an audience. Over the years, both in Massachusetts and at Choudrant, Young has witnessed a wide variety of students not only competing but also supporting their peers through the experience.
Young recalled a particularly memorable moment from last year, when a student from Ruston High School, Grisham Locke, advanced to the national level of the competition. To celebrate and support him, she hosted a pajama party with snacks, gathering students to cheer him on as they watched the final competition together.
“I could have cried when I saw the crowd of our kids who came out to support Grisham and root for him. We’re not an artsy-fartsy, uppity school, but our kids left talking about poetry,” Young said. “Regular people went home with opinions and fierce disagreements about who said what poem better. Nobody was denigrating anyone for nerding out that night. I could not have been prouder.”
Young’s passion for inspiring students to participate in the Poetry Out Loud competition, along with her dedication to helping them succeed in the classroom, reflects the deep love she has for her job. Although teaching may not have been the prestigious career she once saw herself in, it’s clear that Young pours her whole heart into her work.
Nichole Brigger, her mentor during her first year of teaching, recalls Young’s dedication and enthusiasm from the very start of her career. Even in those early days, Young exhibited the same passion for education that continues to drive her today.
“Stephanie is a creative teacher who always puts her students first. She is knowledgeable and hardworking. Shes also a fantastic co-worker,” Brigger said.”She is helpful and shares her creativity with others. If someone had told me years ago that Stephanie would be teacher of the year, I wouldn’t have been surprised. I’m fortunate to have worked with her.”
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