NATCHEZ — Jay Vaughan takes a meticulous approach to most activities in life.

His calm, deliberate demeanor in the classroom has earned him a reputation among his peers as a slow test taker.

“I like to check it, go over every answer and make sure everything is developed fully,” Vaughan said.

There is success behind Vaughan’s perfectionist ways. Sitting atop of his class, Vaughan has a 4.327 GPA. The Cathedral High School senior’s work ethic in the classroom always provided outstanding results, but once Vaughan entered the ninth grade, he decided to explore success in a different avenue — by taking up sports. He found track and cross-country.

“It’s helped me learn how to expand out beyond just academic success, to strive for something beyond that,” Vaughan said.

Cross country head coach Tommy Smith said Vaughan knew a bare minimum about running when Smith first met him, but four years later Vaughan has provided tremendous growth for the quiet senior.

“He’s probably one of the most dedicated athletes that I have,” Smith said. “He’s consistent in everything that he does.”

One of Vaughan’s most prominent qualities is his ability to relate. As a veteran on the cross-country team, Vaughan is forced to expand further out of his comfort zone and lead not only by example, but vocally as well. Vaughan frequently reaches out to his younger teammates and motivates the quiet members of the team by telling them how well they’re doing.

“He’s on the quiet side, but his leadership qualities bleed through in his actions,” Smith said. “All of the kids look up to him and respect him.”

Vaughan’s qualities can be attributed to his parents, Chris and Susan Vaughan. Vaughan’s parents are his role models, as Chris’ work ethic as a pharmacist at Vaughan’s City Drug in Ferriday and Susan’s dedication as a courthouse clerk in Vidalia have inspired their son to put in the extra work it takes to be successful.

That extra work requires staying up until midnight after he gets home from practice around 8 p.m., working hard to maintain the best GPA in his class.

It’s not easy excelling in the classroom after a long day in the heat, but Vaughan never expected it to be.

“It takes a lot of hard work and determination,” Vaughan said. “You have to buckle down and really get your work done. I’ve had great role models teach me how to handle it.”

Vaughan hopes to attend medical school some day and is eying Ole Miss, LSU and Tulane on his short list of college choices.