NATCHEZ — Natchez High School STAR Student Regginald Good decided on his STAR Teacher because she helped him learn who he wanted to be.

Good, 18, said Fallin Career and Technology Center Health Sciences instructor Audrey Curry had the class shadow different professions at the hospital during his junior year.

“I knew I wanted to do something in the health sciences field,” the senior said. “I learned what I wanted to do while shadowing, and what I didn’t want to do — nursing.

“My favorite part was shadowing the pharmacist. I like the role they play — it’s in the background, but it’s still integral to the field.”

The STAR Student award, which is given by the Mississippi Economic Council, honors achievement in the classroom and on the ACT test.

Good has an unweighted GPA of 4.0 and he scored a 28 on the ACT. Though he won’t be able to apply the scholarship because he is attending a school in Louisiana, Good said he was honored to receive the award.

“I was excited about it,” he said. “It showed that my hard work had finally paid off.”

Nurse Curry, as he calls her, was his obvious choice for STAR Teacher.

“Her class was just the time of my life,” he said. “It was a hands-on learning experience about a subject I love.”

Curry said when Good first enrolled in her class his sophomore year, it was her first year as a teacher, which came after 40 years as a registered nurse.

“There were some bumps along the way — it was my first class — but it was an absolute honor having Reggie in my class,” she said. “Sometimes we would co-teach the class because he was so attentive and soaked everything up.”

“Those were the good days,” Good said, laughing.

His parents, Reginald Smith and Tiffany Good, and grandparents, Joe Lee and Dianne Good, have provided a strong support system.

He’s particularly enjoyed volunteering through his grandparent’s D&J Youth Group. In fact, Good said he’s probably involved in that program when he’s not studying or playing defensive line for Natchez High’s soccer team.

“We like to give back to the community,” he said. “I think it’s important to help improve the City of Natchez and the community.”

In the fall Good plans to enroll in the pre-pharmacy program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where he will ultimately go on to get his master’s degree.

“I like the culture and diversity of the school,” he said. “It’s a beautiful campus and they have a good pharmacy program.”

Natchez High School is a good place to be, Good said, if you are a student willing to take advantage of the resources provided. He’s been in the system since the fifth grade after transferring from the Holy Family Catholic Church School.

“I have just always thought about my future,” Good said. “If I really want to be a pharmacist, I knew I was going to have to make good grades.

“I think the Natchez school district is a great system, it just all depends on how you use it. Everything you need is here.”

Good said he’s excited about going to college, but he’s also going to miss Natchez.

“It is bittersweet,” he said. “I am ready for the next step, but it means I have to leave the support system I have here.”

Though he has to leave to go to school, Good didn’t think he’d be gone too long.

“I’ve been debating if I want to work in the hospital or start my own pharmacy,” he said. “But either way, there is a possibility I’ll be back in Natchez — a strong possibility.”