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NATCHEZ — As the season of giving approaches, area schools also find ways to help out charitable causes in their community.

One who has proven herself to be a leader at organizing group community service and charity efforts is Cathedral High School senior Elizabeth Doan, the daughter of Thang and Quyen Doan.

As president of the National Honor Society, Doan has led the organization in several community service efforts, benefiting good causes throughout the region.

She helped organize Cathedral’s “Pack the Bus” canned food drive to collect canned goods for the Natchez Stewpot. Students who bring a can of food can skip out on wearing their uniform for a day as an incentive to donate.

Additionally, she and her classmates have racked up volunteer hours at the Natchez Adams County Humane Society and Natchez Stewpot, where they help clean, cook and feed hungry people.

“I’ve always liked helping people,” Doan said. “I see the National Honor Society as a great opportunity to get involved and help the community.”

Doan said she also feels helping the environment is important, which is why she worked to revive the schools recycling program.

She helped organized a bake sale at Cathedral the weekend before Halloween, which raised money to support victims of Hurricane Ida. Many students at Cathedral worked hand in hand with the Catholic Youth Organization at St. Mary Basilica to host drives and gather supplies, including everything from food to cleaning supplies, for the hurricane victims.

When those drives ended in the fall, Doan said she realized that more help was needed and therefore organized the bake sale. All proceeds from the bake sale were donated to the American Red Cross for their Hurricane Ida relief effort, Doan said.

“At that one bake sale, we raised $400,” she said. “We didn’t think we were going to sell everything, but we did.”

In addition to being a standout volunteer in the community, she also excels in the classroom. Her favorite areas of study are math, art and especially English thanks to her teacher Jean Biglane’s approach to teaching, she said.

“I enjoy her AP English class because what she teaches doesn’t just to help you get through school, but also has real-life applications,” Doan said.

She has also played on Cathedral’s Soccer team since she was in the eighth-grade, served in the Key Club her ninth and tenth grade year, and danced ballet between seventh and 10^th-grade, she said. Her main hobby is traveling. Doan said she has ventured to most parts of Asia, to New York, Chicago and Hawaii.

After graduation, Doan plans to hone her skills in art and study graphic design at Louisiana State University.