(ST. HELENS) — Payton Mauldin will be the president one day — at least, that’s what her high school principal thinks.

The 17-year-old St. Helens High School junior is headstrong, independent and brave. She’s never afraid to try something new, taking on challenges with earnest determination and confidence.

You can almost imagine what the to-do lists in the planner Mauldin starts each day with must look like as she tallies up her extracurriculars. However, you never get the sense that she thinks of any one activity as less important than another. She’s a varsity volleyball and flag football player, the chief editor of the yearbook, a student council member, a National Honor Society representative, the manager of the baseball and varsity football teams — and the list goes on and on.

“I really like to have a sense of belonging,” Mauldin said. “I feel like being a part of all these different groups, I’ve definitely made some really good relationships with people, and I’ve found a true sense of belonging at our high school.”

But it’s her compassion for others that sets her apart.

Within the first hour of arriving for her first day as the SHHS principal in December, Charlotte Ellis remembers Mauldin introducing herself and pitching her ideas for the school’s future.

“She immediately started talking about policies and procedures, and it was clear I was speaking to somebody who not only was incredibly intelligent and compassionate and kind, but somebody who has a heart for our school, our community,” Ellis said.

Mauldin is everywhere, all of the time, Ellis said. Mauldin recently became a founding member of the SHHS Principal’s Advisory Committee along with a handful of fellow students. This new student group elevates student voices by working directly with the administration. They’re kicking off their work by polling the rest of the students at SHHS so that everyone can have that same sense of belonging that Mauldin has been able to find.

“There are so many kids at our high school that are too scared to speak up and are too scared to use their voice,” Mauldin said. “I feel like I’ve just become a really loud voice for everybody in our school, and that people are starting to listen to me more, and that I can really advocate for all groups.”

Not many high school students take such an interest in the inner workings of a school system, which Ellis said speaks to Mauldin’s commitment to “the selfless act of service to others.”

“She’s going to be president someday,” Ellis said. “She’s gonna run the world.”

Jodi Niswender, a teacher at St. Helens High School and Mauldin’s mother, attributes her daughter’s heart for service, in part, to the fact that Mauldin grew up with a mother who worked as a schoolteacher and a father who served in the military. Service and volunteerism were built into the fabric of their family, not out of obligation or a desire for recognition, but as a matter of fact.

“This is just what we did, and it was natural. I think military families as a whole group are just that way, and there is a lot of leadership,” Niswender said. “I don’t think I did anything particularly special or forced her into these situations; I think she just saw it.”

Niswender said raising such a strong-willed child was sometimes challenging, but she knew it would serve Mauldin later in life. As she watches her daughter become a leader, Niswender doesn’t worry about her.

“I’m just so proud, and I admire her so much, and I’m like, ‘What’s she going to conquer?’” Niswender said. “It doesn’t matter — she’s gonna kill it and she will serve. She will be excellent at it.”

But for now, Mauldin focuses on what’s right before her. She hopes to make a lasting positive impact at St. Helens High School one day at a time.

“When I graduate, I hope the Principal’s Action Committee will stay,” Mauldin said. “I hope that kids will feel more belonging, that I will leave a community that supports each other and lifts each other up and is there for each other.”

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Community: St. Helens

Why she is an Amazing Kid: Payton Mauldin uses her voice to elevate her fellow students and to create a better community.

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