LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / October 11, 2000

HAHNVILLE – Ask anyone on the staff around Eual J. Landry Sr. Middle Schoolabout outstanding students and the name of Tiffany Monchaud immediately comes to mind.

To teachers, she’s an excellent eighth-grade student, always focused on her school work and unfailingly polite and helpful.

“She brightens my day,” commented her math teacher, Cyntheia Jessie.

Tiffany, 14, is the daughter of Cathy and O’Neal Monchaud of Luling, their youngest of five children. She comes from a family which places a high valueon education, drive and self-improvement. Her father is a mechanic at St.Charles Diesel in Killona, and her mother is a Wal-Mart employee at the Veterans Highway location in Metairie.

She works hard to maintain a good relationship with all her teachers and even those she’s had in the past. After lunch she can often be found helping herseventh-grade science teacher, Becky Williamson, “with whatever she might need help with.”Tiffany is not a bookworm, though, and remains active in yearbook and band, and she may try out for basketball this season. When she does take timeaway from her studies she loves rhythm-and-blues music, reading poetry and love stories and, as one might expect, shopping for clothes, as she did last weekend with her mother for a new winter jacket.

As for her favorite subjects, she loves social studies and math, which will serve her well as she advances to Hahnville High School next year. However,the prospect of that move is “a little scary,” she admitted.

“I’m not that excited about going,” Tiffany said, but the prospect of new friends and more opportunities makes up for it. Her future plans, she hopes,include becoming a pediatrician.

“I love children, and I want to make them feel better,” she said with her ready smile.

But don’t think all this talent, intelligence and charm will be affected by everything that the high school scene will offer. “I just don’t pay attention tothe distractions,” Tiffany said.

She is, after all, focused.

“I do this to really make my mama proud,” she said.

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