RESERVE — East St. John High School senior Da’Shawn August has managed to keep up his grades, participate in sports, join school clubs and served as a Marine Staff Sergeant in the St. John Parish Young Marines.

In his mind, the most important thing in life is education. August, who currently has a 3.5 GPA, has been on the honor roll since he was in the fourth grade. He is currently on the A-B honor roll and he is trying to get into Nicholls State University, hoping to work in the culinary industry.

Out of all of the classes he takes, August said his favorite is English because he likes to write. He remembers learning how to write short stories in the eighth grade.

The senior is dedicated to his studies.

“Education is one of the most important things to me,” he said. “When it comes to education, no one can take your knowledge away. I always take three to four hours out of my day just to do homework, study a little extra and keep up with everything. At the beginning, it was a little hard, but once I got used to it over summer break, everything was fine.”

School counselor Demecca Jones said August is a very consciousness student who is personable and serious about his education.

“He is also a very thoughtful young man,” Jones said. “He is helpful around campus. Da’Shawn (August) is a very well rounded and, overall, very kind student.”

Jones noted August is active in the community and a good reflection of what East St. John has to offer.

“What makes Da’Shawn (August) special is his kind heart,” Jones said. “He can float into any crowd, whether it’s the athletic group or the academic group. Overall, I think he is even keeled. He can mingle in any group and be successful and supportive.”

At West St. John, August plays football, runs track and plays baseball. He is also a member of the cooking competition team and Student Council.

“I wanted to be on Student Council because I wanted to be a voice for the people who don’t have a voice,” he said. “If someone has an opinion, then I would happily take their opinions and present it to everyone else. For Student Council, I’m the parliamentarian. I make sure everything stays in order.”

Through all of the different activities and groups he participates in, August still manages to keep up with his grades.

Taking his desire for success and to help others, August joined the St. John Parish Young Marines. Along with being a Marine Staff Sargent, and he teaches five platoons. August joined because he is looking for something to better himself.

“I also wanted to set up and be a role model for other kids,” he said. “That was my main goal, to inspire others. Once I started teaching my first class, one of the kids came up to me and said ‘I want to be just like you.’ I told him, ‘No, you don’t want to be just like me. You want to be better than me.’ I love helping others.”