by Hanna Singh
A talented middle school student from A.E. Phillips has advanced to state in the Louisiana Student of the Year competition. 8th grader Kaejha Stewart will represent her school and community as one of eight students in her category at the state competition.
After being named middle school student of the year at A.E. Phillips, Stewart advanced through the parish and regional competitions. She is now titled as the Region 8 middle school student of the year and will have the opportunity to compete for the state title. Stewart highlighted the support she received throughout the stages of the competition.
“What an experience this has been. I am so grateful that AE Phillips, Lincoln Parish Schools, and Region 5 gave me the opportunity to represent them as Student of the Year,” Stewart said. “I am glad that I was able to put in the work to make me get here. I am thankful to my mom for encouraging me everyday throughout this process and the village around me that helps in any capacity. Ruston is truly a beautiful place to live.”
In her community, Stewart is highly involved in the arts as well as community service opportunities. She has performed with the Ruston Community Theater, sang with the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and served with their youth group. She has pursued many extracurricular activities including soccer, track and field, piano, singing, poetry and dance.
Stewart’s mother, Grace Joseph, praised her daughters unwavering commitments to her endeavors and her values.
“I admire her work ethic and her dedication towards helping and looking out for people. She puts in a lot of work to do well and goes hard in everything she does,” Joseph said. “I also admire how empathetic she is. In our household we learn to treat people with kindness and respect no matter what their background may be and Kaejha loves learning more about people’s stories to help her understand them more.”
Not only is Stewart dedicated to her grades, but she has also shown her passion for leadership and success through many other endeavors in her school and community. Stewart serves as student council president, National Junior Honor Society president, FCA leader, Mathcounts team member and a member of the Science Olympiad Team.
A.E. Phillips principal, Jenny Blalock, emphasized Stewart’s determination and positive attitude.
“Kaejha has always had a spark about her. She strives to meet big goals and is very talented,” Blalock said. “I love to laugh with her about how she is always performing. Whether as the lead in our school play or on the sidewalk, trying to convince me to buy her a burger from the food truck, for example. She will do big things in life and I look forward to continuing to watch her grow and achieve.”
Stewart will go on to represent her school at the state competition as a shining example of talent and dedication from Lincoln Parish.
