Serving others first

Countless high school seniors graduate with the idea of changing the world for the better. Some have a head start.

Shawnee Baughman is in the latter group. The Lake City High School graduate, a member of the school’s Human Rights Club and one of its most active advocates, hopes to take her concerns for the injustices and suffering of humans to the root of the problem, wherever that may be. That dedication will serve others well, said Eric Edmonds, the club’s adviser.

“That’s actually the kind of thing I hope she does,” said Edmonds, who is also a history teacher and has taught Baughman in several courses. “She is a terrific writer; she writes and thinks more deeply than most students. She likes to question ideas and the basic assumptions of life, and she does it well without ever being unkind. That’s a real rare combination.”

In her four-year involvement with the Human Rights Club, Baughman has played a prominent part in fundraising efforts that help a variety of causes, including an annual amount of between $500 to $1,000 for the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and a nearly $8,000 donation that went toward building a school in Sierra Leone in West Africa.

“She was a big part in doing that,” Edmonds said about Baughman’s T-shirt-selling support of the Sierra Leone project.

Another feature that distinguishes the class salutatorian is where she’ll be continuing her education – Baughman will be the first Lake City student to attend Stanford University on a near full-ride scholarship. While her post-college sights are set on joining a humanitarian group to travel to a country in need, Baughman is determined to prepare herself with human-centered degrees.

“I was really surprised when I got my acceptance; I applied there as my dream school, I never thought I’d get in. My parents knew I’d go to a school like that, but I didn’t,” she said, adding that she will major in international relations and pre-med and is considering Doctors Without Borders or the Peace Corps as after-college options. “I’ve always had a really big interest in helping that way… I’ve always wanted to join the Peace Corps after college. I want to travel around the world.”

It’s no wonder why then that Baughman’s personal beliefs are inspired by a quote from political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

Her long-term goals have strayed a bit through the years, though. The youngest sibling in a family of three children, Baughman was encouraged at an early age by her hardworking parents and older brother, Mike, a former Lake City valedictorian who is studying astrophysics in college. “I really like math and sciences. Growing up I always thought I’d major in astrophysics,” she said, adding “I always looked up to my brother.”

Baughman’s other school activities include two years with the pre-university program International Baccalaureate, and four years of Spanish and choir, with two all-state selections for her singing.

With a healthy mind and a heart to help others, Edmonds said Baughman will no doubt have an impact with whatever she does.

“She’s just a great student,” he said. “I think she’ll do very well for whatever she decides to do.”