19 Feb 2015 Youth of the Month: Ciera Newsome

City: Morrilton.

School: Senior, Morrilton High School.

Favorite subject: My favorite has always been math.

What do you enjoy most at school: Being with my friends.

Career plans: I want to be a math teacher at either the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) or Morrilton High School.

Community activities: I volunteer every year at UACCM’s Night of Luminaries, serving cookies and hot chocolate to hundreds of children; I also volunteer during UACCM’s Just Desserts fundraisers. Past activities include volunteering to help serve food at the Southern Christian Home during their annual homecoming event and taking an elderly woman for her doctor’s appointment.

Family: Mary Newsome (mom); Harold Newsome Jr. (dad); and Derrick Newsome (brother).

Who do you admire the most: My parents, my brother and my pastor and first lady — the Rev. and Mrs. Sherman Whitfield.

Favorite meal: Among all the good food my mom cooks, my favorite is her turkey and dressing, green beans, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls and a slice of pumpkin pie. She cooks this every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Most cherished possession: My class ring and my calculator (because I love math so much).

Most enjoyed weekend activity: Going shopping with my mom and grandma; going out to eat breakfast and/or dinner with my family.

Favorite quote: “It’s not what you’re called, it’s what you answer to.” — Tyler Perry as “Madea”

Favorite place in Arkansas: The small town of Morrilton.