Hahnville Salutatorian stays on the move

For Hahnville High School Salutatorian McKenzie Hargis, giving anything less than 100 percent just isn’t in her nature.

Hargis, who plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in microbiology, said her upbringing has made that a natural mentality to carry throughout her life.

“I can’t not try,” Hargis said. “My mom always said grades don’t matter as long as I did my best. Having that outlook always helped, because I knew she was always there for me. My twin brother, (Bryce), he’s Summa Cum Laude as well. Having him always around for competition helped. We joke about it sometimes because we’re always so close in everything.”

Hargis has earned numerous honors at Hahnville, including four years of recognition for Dow All A’s, Summa Cum Laude and the Superintendent’s List. She earned the Spanish II award, World History award, Calculus AB AP award and the Tiger award (twice).

She matched her academic output with a strong performance on the athletic field. Hargis counts soccer among her greatest loves, and she’s served as the captain of the Lady Tigers soccer team in each of the past three seasons.

A sophomore captain is a rarity, that honor usually going to an upperclassman. Hargis believes her willingness to lend a helping hand to other players was what earned her that early nod from her coaches.

“I tend to lead by example and I guess the coaches saw that in me,” Hargis said. “If something goes wrong, I try to fix it. I’m not a vocal leader, but I lead more by example. I’ve been playing since I was five, so I’ve learned a lot.

“Especially this past year, we had a lot of new people, some who hadn’t played soccer before. I tried to help however I could and tried to live up to what the coaches saw in me.”

Hargis also recently parlayed her soccer skills into a good cause. For her senior project, she hosted a soccer camp for Special Olympians in November. Athletes from the River Parishes and surrounding areas participated and learned dribbling, passing and shooting skills.

The senior said the camp was incredibly rewarding.

“You really see how much you impact them,” Hargis said. “They become so happy just based off a little thing like a pass or when they shoot and score. It’s awesome to see how they react to it. I felt like it really changed me. I feel like I’m more humble and giving since then, because I’ve seen what it’s like for them to have a disability and persevere. I know I can’t take what I have for granted anymore.

“I realized what’s important to me is being happy, and seeing how happy they are when playing sports with other people and the way that made me feel really stuck out to me.”

She hopes to move on to medical school once she completes her studies at Southern Miss and potentially move on to a career in pediatric oncology.

At a young age, Hargis lost her grandmother after a bout with pancreatic cancer, something she said has stuck with her throughout life.

“Cancer has always had a presence in my mind,” Hargis said. “I pray about it all the time.”

That, and her love of children, led her to that potential career path.

Art is another area where Hargis specializes. As part of the Talented Art program at Hahnville, she found an outlet to express herself.

“I’ve gone through a lot of rough times this year,” Hargis said. “It’s helped me express my feelings. I’m not a very talkative person, but it helped me get my feelings out there. It’s been a great thing throughout my four years. I mostly paint and draw. I do a lot of realistic paintings.”

 As she leaves Hahnville, she said she’ll deeply miss the friends she’s made, both in her classes and in her activities — especially her soccer teammates.

“I’ll always remember the times we shared playing soccer,” she said. “We forged some great relationships. I’ll really miss not having that team anymore.”

 

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