The following article was originally run on www.Vype.com by author Brad Heath. It is reprinted here with their express written permission.

Tecumseh High School junior Kylie Stewart is making a difference in her local community and around the world.

As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a student at Tecumseh High School, Kylie Stewart has felt a responsibility to her tribe and her classmates to be more than just a student, but to have an impact wherever she can in life.

In the classroom Stewart carries a 4.0 GPA and is focused on making the most of her opportunities. 

“I am currently involved in the National Honor Society, Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society and Beta Club,” said Stewart. “I also volunteer with the National Honor Society and my church, the Tecumseh Pentecostal Church of God.”

Through the church her impact on another tribe more than 6,000 miles away was felt when she took a mission trip to Panama.

“My mission trip to Panama was definitely a life changing experience. While we were there we helped build a church and a school for the Ngobe-Buglé Indian tribe living in the mountains. The one thing that left the biggest impact on my life was seeing how happy these kids were even though they didn’t have much. No matter what was going on they always managed to have a smile on their face. These wonderful people taught me to cherish even the smallest things in life.”

The tribe will continue to help Stewart with her education in college. She plans to attend St. Gregory’s University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. 

“The Potawatomi tribe has been a tremendous help in furthering my education. The tribe has a contract with St. Gregory’s that will completely pay for the four years that I will be attending there,” said Stewart. 

Before she heads off on another mission trip or off to college, Stewart will graduate from Tecumseh High School, a place she will always call home.

“The thing I like most about being a student at Tecumseh High School is all of the AP classes they offer. While these classes are challenging, they help me prepare for my future in college. My favorite class is AP U.S. History, also known in school as APUSH. My favorite teacher would have to be Mrs. Ozment, my trigonometry teacher.”

There’s little doubt Stewart will be successful in college and in life. 

“It is very important to me to be successful in anything I do because I represent the Potawatomi tribe.”