FERRIDAY — Perhaps it only takes one person to change another person’s life for the better, and Ferriday High School 2019 Valedictorian Meinyaun Smith said she believes she could be one of those people.

Smith said she would be attending the University of Louisiana at Monroe this fall to study biology, which she hopes may help steer her into medical school, nursing or even a career in agriculture.

“Biology gives me the opportunity to go into any profession,” Smith said, “nursing pre-med or just about anything. I have a passion for helping people and I’ve just always wanted to help others with whatever I do.”

Smith said her passion had been partly inspired as she worked her way through part of high school at Riverland Medical Center’s business office, where she met with patients and recorded insurance claims.

“I enjoyed meeting all of the different types of people there, seeing the different attitudes they have and helping some of them feel better,” Smith said.

In addition to her work, Smith said she has a close family friend, Shonte Daniels, that has been a role model to her when Daniels faced many challenges in nursing school but still managed to start a successful career as a nurse practitioner in Vidalia.

Smith said she lives by her favorite quote by an American author in historian, Edward Everett Hale.

“I am only one, but I am one,” Smith said, reciting her favorite quote aloud to inspire her classmates at graduation. “I cannot do everything, but I can do something and I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

Smith is the daughter of Shemeka Wilson and Maurice Smith and was a member of the National Beta Club, the 4-H Club, the Ladies of Gold dance team and the Student Advisory Council.

She was also elected to be the 2019 Class President and the Ferriday High School 2018-2019 Student of the Year.