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This week I had a chance to talk to some young folks who are set on their paths to success.

Two are students in Port Arthur. Another is a Memorial High School and Prairie View A&M grad. And they all make me proud of where I come from.

One of my first stops was at Memorial 9^th Grade Academy, where I sat down with Orrian Spriggs. His story will appear online and in print at a later date this month as part of our weekly Bright Futures features.

Spriggs is a natural athlete who plays football and track. He got into football with a Pop Warner league and has played ever since.

He enjoys being outdoors, playing football and basketball, which seems to fit into his personality.

Academics-wise, he enjoys geography, algebra and biology.

He offered some advice to others looking to get into sports: Make sure you take care of your body, keep pushing yourself, don’t stop and have a healthy diet — all of which makes sense.

I also had a chance to meet with Isabella Roy, a seventh grade student at Lincoln Middle School. This young lady is confident and ready to tackle new and challenging experiences.

Roy spent a lot of time talking about her teachers and how they have or are making a positive impact in her life — from teacher Carrie Newman, who taught her to enjoy poetry, to teacher Carnikka Provost, who showed faith in her and helped her blossom into a dance dynamo.

She has been lured by the written and spoken word and of movements of the body to and how they convey a message.

The middle school student, who is in all honors classes, hasn’t decided on a career just yet but has a few ideas relating to poetry, dance or becoming a nurse. She would like to take care of others.

A third young person I’ve spoken with this week is Kayla Broussard.

Broussard is a 2019 Memorial High School graduate and a Dec. 10 graduate of Prairie View A&M University with a degree in Management Information Systems.

I learned about her while scrolling through social media and seeing a posting from Port Arthur ISD offering congratulations to her as an Amazing Alumni.

Broussard earned her BBA in Management Information Systems and will head to Seattle for a job with Boeing.

(I can’t even imagine.)

These three people, from a seventh grader to a ninth grader to a recent college graduate, all have so many opportunities to succeed and achieve their goals, whatever they may be.

I’m just glad I’m able to chronicle a part of their journey.

Mary Meaux is a news reporter at The Port Arthur News. She can be reached at mary.meaux@panews.com.