From a young age, Aria Blackard has always dived headfirst into her passions and worked extremely hard to reach her goals. To add on to an already long list of accomplishments, she has earned the title of salutatorian at Columbia High School.
Blackard said it means a lot to her to earn salutatorian because she’s been working hard for it for a really long time, earning a weighted GPA of 5.6. She started her journey to the top of the class while she was in the eighth grade, which is when she learned of and starting taking classes that would give her high school credits.
“My parents, especially my mom, have pushed me to do well, and it means a lot. It feels like everything paid off,” she said.
Blackard is actually a co-salutatorian with her friend, Mamie Herring, as the pair tied down to the decimal point. Having to share the title hasn’t affected Blackard’s feelings about it at all though.
“We knew that we were going to be really close, but we had no idea we were going to be down to the hundredth (decimal point). It’s somewhat kind of expected, but it’s also like ‘Woah, we’re special,’” Blackard said in a joking tone. “It’s nice to have it with Mamie because I think we’ve both worked really hard to get it.”
Blackard said her mom, Shelly, is the reason why she is where she is because she has always been a positive force pushing her to reach new heights. She said her dad, Jeff, has also been a big help, particularly with math. She also credited a number of teachers, including Julia Foxworth who helped Blackard a lot with her writing.
“I’ve had so many good teachers that have left such a positive impact on me,” she said.
Blackard plans to attend Southern Miss on multiple scholarships after earning a 32 on the ACT, including perfect scores in reading and English. She will study biological sciences with an emphasis on conservation sciences. Following the completion of her bachelor’s degree, she has her sights set on getting her master’s degree in zoology and botany from either the University of Florida or Mississippi State. She is considering becoming either a lepidopterist, a scientist who studies and saves butterflies, or a mammologist studying cats in the wild.
She was raised to care about animals, and she really loves tigers. As one of her projects as a Girl Scout, she made a butterfly garden at Columbia Elementary School and raised and released more than 50 butterflies. She said it made her realize how much she enjoyed working with butterflies and how rewarding it can be.
During her high school years, Blackard loved being involved Columbia’s musical productions and various singing groups, and she will be part of Southern Miss’ Choir. She hopes being involved with the choir will open the door for her to perform in musicals at USM as well. She also was a member of the CHS Marching Wildcats, who won the Class 4A State Championship her senior year, playing the bass drum for two years and tenor drums for two years.
USM’s choir program was a big selling point for Blackard, who was also considering Mississippi State, when she was deciding where to get her undergrad as was the scholarships Southern Miss offered her. USM’s conservation and biology programs also have really strong connections to exciting possibilities for students that interested her.
Blackard encourages younger students to work hard academically but also take the time to enjoy the people around them.
“It’s really about balance,” she said. “Balancing has to do with it tracking your time, so keep up with things and don’t procrastinate or else you’d be overloaded. You have to work for what you want but still have fun.”
