BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — As schools across Baton Rouge celebrate students for their academic excellence, one high school award recipient is channeling her skills to help other kids with technology. Kaitlyn Smith is more than a stellar student. “Getting to be chosen at the district level is just absolutely phenomenal," said Smith. Smith is a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet. She's also the high school district winner of the East Baton Rouge Schools Student of the Year award. “My personal desire to want to challenge myself and be the best that I can, I think, ultimately produced this honor and recognition," said Smith. Smith is a part of several clubs along with her outstanding academic performance. “I am also the co-founder and president of the Culinary Club, so we do a lot of really cool activities with that. And I'm also on the Science Olympiad team," said Smith. Along with doing cybersecurity research at Louisiana State University, the 17-year-old co-authored and presented research at an international conference. “I've been doing that since January 2023," said Smith. East Baton Rouge Schools announces 2024-25 Students of the Year: See the winners Smith also uses her passion for computers and technology to teach young girls at the library how to code. “Women tend to be pretty underrepresented in STEM. So I'm just trying to use my passion for computers and do what I can to help," said Smith. When the senior doesn’t have her head in the books, you can find her playing the piano. “I really like music. It just brings me relaxation, being able to play and create some sounds that I find beautiful," said Smith. As Smith heads into her last semester of high school, she leaves behind advice for the kids coming in behind her. “So challenge yourself in your classes, challenge yourself in your extracurricular pursuits and then also try to exude positivity," said Smith. Smith said she’s in the process of applying to several colleges. Latest News Democrats sound alarm on West Bank under Trump administration Cucumbers sold in 26 states recalled over Salmonella concerns East Baton Rouge Student of the Year teaches young girls about coding Alabama A&M player Medrick Burnett Jr. dies following injury during Magic City Classic in Birmingham Need to get away? Check out some of the top states where Louisiana likes to vacation