East St. John High graduate Austin Scioneaux shared his top wishes for the St. John the Baptist Parish community at a recent Rotary Club of LaPlace luncheon.

His first wish was to see a big brother/big sister mentorship program for incoming freshmen transitioning into high school.

Scioneaux’s second wish was to form a traveling charity group that brings YMCA-style summer camps to children in third world countries.

The second wish brought tears to his mother’s eyes. In that instant, it was clear she and her son were cut from the same cloth.

“What makes me most proud is that he has such a servant heart,” Yevette Scioneaux said. “Austin is a giver. He’s a lot like me. We’d rather be stressed than to see other people stressed, so we like to take on peoples’ burdens.”

With more than 2,100 community service hours under his belt from the past four years, Scioneaux prioritizes service over self, dedicating time to help others among a busy academic and extracurricular schedule.

At the end of high school, Scioneaux accumulated the most volunteer hours in his senior class.

When Hurricane Harvey struck Texas in 2017, Scioneaux and others from New Wine Christian Fellowship traveled across the state line to help with home repairs.

Since 2014, Scioneaux has volunteered as a counselor for New Wine’s Kids on the Move summer camp, and he stays involved in church through Mighty Men and media team groups.

Much of his service, including hours spent at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home and food preparation for Sheriff’s Office senior citizens luncheons, was conducted through East St. John’s Interact Club.

Scioneaux works with Parish officials and corporations, lending a hand during the annual Andouille Festival, St. John Clean Sweep and Household Hazardous Collection days.

“It’s always great to give back to where you came from,” Scioneaux said. “No matter what, there can always be improvement and progress. I’d consider my community service my favorite hobby.”

Scioneaux’s other hobbies include Photoshop and art projects, writing and reading. However, his strongest suit in school was math. He’s begun searching for summer internships in process technology or computer engineering in preparation for college.

Scioneaux will attend Louisiana Tech University in Ruston this fall.

“I feel that my path is still a little undetermined,” Scioneaux said. “I want to figure out myself in college and learn what I really like to do.”

He’s confident his high school experience will provide a basis for success. Aside from Interact Club, Scioneaux actively participated in 4-H, Beta Club, National English Honor Society and WCAT, an activism-focused media elective.

As student government president, he was responsible for keeping seniors informed of all school activities via group chats.

Scioneaux said his parents, Alvin and Yevette, encourage him to work hard and be successful.

“I want to look back and know I did well for myself and for my parents, because they’ve worked hard to get me where I am,” he said.

According to Yevette, Scioneaux maintained all-A honor roll and received scholarships from Rotary Club and the East St. John Alumni Association.