Page 105 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2020

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April 2020 | 105
Audrey Chang, 14, is a freshman at Our Lady Academy, and though she has three years left of high school, she seems to be intent on making her mark – both in her school and the world at large.
Not only does Chang maintain a 4.0 grade point average and membership in National Junior Honor Society, but she is a valuable member of her school’s swim team, having lettered for three years and medaled in both individual and relay events at the MHSAA State Swim Meet.
“I like being part of a team because we celebrate each other’s highs and support each other through our lows,” Chang said. Chang also holds school team records in backstroke and as a
member of relay teams. In addition to swimming for OLA, she competes and volunteers with Gulf Coast Swim Club, a USA Swimming Age Group Team.
Chang’s love of teamwork extends past sports. At OLA,
she is a member of the yearbook sta , campus ministry, and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), with which she represented her school in HYPE, Hancock Youth for Positive E orts.
“We studied the impact and availability of vape products and created iers to share this information. Recently, at a presentation at my school, I was honored to distribute my iers to all my fellow students,” Chang said.
But Chang doesn’t limit her service to her fellow teens. In addition to her work with Gulf Coast Swim Club and SADD, she has participated in projects with campus ministry, such
as decorating doors for Christmas at Dunbar Village, a local retirement community. She also reads with children at her former elementary school after school hours.
“I spend 30 minutes listening as they read and talking about the books. As an avid reader myself, it’s very rewarding to see a child who was uncomfortable reading be excited about books,” Chang said.
At only the halfway point through her years at OLA, Audrey Chang is set to leave an indelible impression on her school and her community, but she views it with humility, saying, “I am grateful to God, my family, and my school for the opportunities that have made me the person, as a part of our society, that I am today.”
TERRIFIC AUDREY
PRESENTED BY
CHANG
story by Rachel Hoyt
photo courtesy of Our Lady Academy
TEEN