Page 91 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2025
P. 91
Compiled by Cherie Ward
Xander Ladner
Isabelle Smith
photo courtesy of Xander Ladner
Xander Ladner has had a busy academic career
at Bay High
School both on and off the field. He was tapped
as Mr. Bay High, has a 24 ACT score, and was a four-year starting quarterback for the Bay Tigers Football Team.
He was also a four-year starting player for the Bay Tigers baseball team and recently helped the school’s soccer team win a state championship. In his spare time,
Isabelle Smith will already be ranked second in her class at D’Iberville High School when she starts her senior year in August.
And she’s already making plans to pursue a finance degree at Vanderbilt University when
she graduates in May 2026. Her aspirations also include law school and becoming a corporate attorney with a strong focus on mergers and acquisitions.
Her academic
career is already
filled with numerous awards and community involvement. She scored a 31 on the ACT and is on the Mississippi Department of Education Superintendent Student Advisory Council, Beta Club, Art Club, Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta Club, National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Special Olympics, Mississippi Senior Olympics, Diamond Dolls, and helps with Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine.
Smith plans to spend the summer working as a lifeguard at the Biloxi Natatorium and as a volunteer with the Biloxi Parks and Recreation Department.
he is a leader on and off the field as a baseball umpire with the Bay St. Louis Little League.
Ladner is a member of the National Honor Society, a student ambassador, and a community volunteer with baseball and football teams. Peers, coaches, and teachers say he is as kind as he is humble. He will head to Pearl River Community College in the fall with plans to study business administration and finance.
photo courtesy of Isabelle Smith
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