Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2025

Compiled by Cherie Ward
Demi Johnson
Emersyn Grace
photo courtesy of Demi Johnson
Demi Johnson is destined to become
a conservationist and the Gulfport teenager is already helping
to restore oysters,
one of nature’s most vulnerable marine animals. She’s even earned a National Geographic award for her efforts to restore the state’s oyster reefs by successfully raising more than 1,000 oysters last year.
Those oysters are expected to produce millions of larvae, helping to improve the local ecosystem. She launched the oyster gardening
When Emersyn Grace attends Mississippi State University in the fall, she’s taking with her a love for Formula One Motorsports and plans to
study mechanical engineering with a minor in law.
“I have always
enjoyed research and
problem solving,”
she said. “That’s
why I want to have
a law background.
I want to pursue
mechanical
engineering because,
over the past few
years, I’ve become
fascinated with
Formula One Motorsports. I want to combine the motorsports field as an engineer with a patent lawyer.”
The Resurrection Catholic High School senior has also been dually enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and will graduate from both high school and junior college in May. She has an array of academic achievements including being a member of the ACT 30+ Club and holds a 33 ACT Superscore and 31 ACT Composite score. She was also the 2024-25 RCS STAR Student and the recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen
Award, Chapter Representative and held internships with the Bacot Foundation of South Mississippi and the Perkins Law Group.
project, where she raised oysters in cages hung from a pier, allowing them to filter water and support reef recovery. Johnson plans to grow her project by adding more oyster cages and aspires to become an environmental lawyer, continuing her advocacy for ecological preservation.
She also finds time to volunteer with the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Program, Feed My Sheep food pantry, community cleanups, and Mississippi State Extension Services 4-H clubs. Because her project was so successful, Johnson was invited to enroll in the Master Oyster Gardening Program, which certifies volunteers to do advanced oyster restoration work. She’s the program’s first youth participant.
photo courtesy of Emersyn Grace
90 | April 2025 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
PRESENTED BY: