For a high school freshman, it can be hard to stand out among many other young adults and upperclassmen. Those who do are often the ones who proactively get involved in their school or community to show what they can do.

Caden Crump, a first-year student at Wright City High School, has earned praise from organizers of the Wright City Ambassadors program for being among a small number of freshmen to join the program, and for his proactive volunteer work since then. The ambassadors program gets students involved in their community while helping them develop their social and professional skills.

This year, the ambassadors volunteered at a back-to-school event at Faith Christian Family Church, for which Crump also procured items to donate. Ambassadors have also helped with citywide trash cleanup and a flower bed beautification at the corner of North Second Street and Elm Street.

As an individual project, Crump is helping the Wright City Community Food Pantry to deliver meals to in-need families.
In November, Crump and his 12 fellow ambassadors will have a professional development session with local business owners to develop their resumes and build job interview skills.

Q: Why did you get involved with the ambassadors program?

“I wanted to help out around the community, and I figured it would be a good opportunity. I have so much, and other people don’t.”

Q: Why did you choose the food pantry as one of your volunteer projects?
“Food is a big need for a lot of people. I figured that would be a good opportunity for my project.”

Q: How did you feel about your other projects?
“For the community cleanup ... we had a ton of bags of trash. It looked pretty good after we cleaned it all up.”

Q: What would you tell someone who is thinking about joining ambassadors?
“I’d just tell them what all I’ve done and how much I’ve helped out. I would just explain to them what we do.”

Q: What classes are you taking at school? Any favorites?
“My basic required classes, an art class, and a history of popular music class to get my fine arts credits.
“(The most interesting) are physical science and PE. Almost everything we do (in science) is hands on projects, and it makes me get more into it. ... And I like to be outside and play sports.”

Q: Are any subject areas challenging for you?
“Not really, but if there is I just ask the teachers for a little bit of help, and they help me.”

Q: What other activities are you involved in?
“I play baseball and soccer. With baseball, we try to do a lot of community work, too.”

Q: What is good advice you’ve gotten as a freshman?
“Get your work turned in. ... And I recommend playing sports. It makes you look good.”

Q: Who is an important mentor for you?
“My parents. ... They’re very involved around the community, and I think that’s really cool.”

Favorite food: Steak
Favorite show: “Money Heist”
Favorite music: Country and hip hop
Favorite destination: Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Destin, Florida