KILLEEN, Texas — A Central Texas student is being recognized with a prestigious award for his outstanding service both in and outside of the classroom.
Killeen ISD's V'Jae Brown is an upcoming senior at Shoemaker High School and has been selected as one of only 15 students across the state of Texas to earn the Texas Student Hero Award.
"He always has a positive attitude, and it's very contagious," Shatilya Brooks, Career and Technical Education Counselor, said. "The influence and impact that he's made is very powerful. I think other students look up to him, and it makes them want to step outside of their comfort zone."
Brown has been an active volunteer for the Killeen Youth Advisory Commission, working to improve safety and recycling. He even organized a recycling art contest with the city.
The senior also advocated for higher-quality streetlights and sidewalks in the neighborhood around Smith Middle School while he was in the seventh grade.
Brown was a digital audio student at the KISD Career Center, co-hosted the Scoreboard Show before varsity football games and contributed to radio and television broadcasts for the district.
6 News sat down with Brown and asked about his accomplishments.
Q: What are some of the things that make you kind of stick out from other students?
A: I would say my projects in leadership and recyclables. I work hand-in-hand with the city councilmen, and I organize projects where they are built with teens to create a better environment for the parks or environment for special education students, I also am part of another organization called Net Impact at CTC. They want to build a better community, and I saw the opportunity to lead a project on recyclables, circular plastics. In 7th grade, me and two others advised for streetlights in our school areas because we noticed that in our school area particularly there was a lack of streetlights, which felt dangerous, especially to those who walked on these bumpy roads.
Q: How do you have time to balance everything? How do you time manage all of that?
A: That's a great question because I mean, when I am at home, I try not to be on my phone. I stream sometimes. I do the regular things. I have my own planner. I'm always in my own planner doing my schedule and my calendar app.
Q: Who inspired you to be active in your community? Was there somebody growing up who helped you become who you are today?
A: Everybody that I have ever met in my life has changed me in some way. If there was one specific person, it would probably be my brother. My brother led me for everything. I looked at him and I learned from him.
Q: What would you say to a high schooler that thinks they can't make a big impact on their community?
A: My main message that I always say, like my motto is: be heard. If you're not heard, through your actions, through words, there's, there's no way that you're going to make an impact if that's what you want to do. If you want to make an impact on your community, your people... do actions to prove that you want to make an impact.
Q: Moving forward what are your hopes and dreams? What are you planning to do after you graduate?
A: I hope to really go into environmental science, like anything to do with renewable energy or just helping the environment, helping others and preparing the future generations to make sure that they're sustainable, making sure that they are in a world where they don't have to worry about using too much resources or breathing in chemicals that might hurt them. I just want to help.