Chamois senior Julissa Mitchem, who was selected as February’s Osage County Anti-Drug Community Action Team (OC-ADCAT) Student of the Month, said she is living a drug-free lifestyle as much for herself as for others.

“I want to achieve my goals in life and be successful and I want to set a good example for the kids younger than me,” she said. “The thing that influenced me to remain drug and alcohol-free was seeing what happens to the people that do these things and what their life is like now that they have done drugs or became addicted to alcohol.”

Mitchem was nominated by Principal Jeremy McKague, who said he was comfortable in doing so because she exemplifies what is expected of Chamois students.

“She makes excellent grades, is the senior class president and is involved in multiple organizations such as FFA and yearbook,” he added. “Not only does Julissa excel in the classroom, but she is also a positive role model. She displays the attitude we would like to see younger students emulate.”

She is also a member of the track team, the Lucky Charms 4-H Club, the archery team, and serves as Chamois FFA secretary.

“She is involved in a multitude of activities,” McKague said. “This allows her to lead various individuals. She is an intricate part of the media team at CHS as well.”

Mitchem’s role in yearbook as editor-in-chief has been integral in that publication as well as the Pirate Post, and she is a vocal leader. “She isn’t afraid to let her opinion known but also will listen to the opinions of others,” McKague noted. “She leads more through the guiding of her organization versus a commanding leader.”

Mitchem doesn’t want drugs and alcohol to dictate her life. “I want to be able to be myself and not have those things hold me back in life,” she said. “I want to be a successful person and build a family and not be caught up in drugs or alcohol.”

Fortunately, Mitchem said she doesn’t have to deal with negative influences. “Going to a little school like Chamois, we are really close and there’s not a lot of peer pressure,” she said.

Mitchem added that she has a lot of support from her mother and father, Amy and James, as well as her brother, Seth.

All in all, McKague said he is very pleased with Mitchem’s selection. “I feel very confident that Julissa is an excellent representative of our school,” he added. “She not only is an excellent student she excels outside of the classroom as well. Her extracurricular involvement is in many diverse areas. She is also one that is willing to help out others in and out of class. Julissa has a bright future when she moves on from CHS.”

Mitchem, who has a 3.5 GPA, plans to attend Merrell University in Jefferson City and earn her cosmetology and esthetician licenses, after which she plans to open a salon.

She will be eligible for an OC-ADCAT scholarship, which is awarded at the end of the school year.

“I am so excited to showcase our seniors that have chosen to live a drug- and alcohol-free life,” said OC-ADCAT Education Committee Chairperson Charlotte Bellsmith. “I know this is not an easy thing to do. The pressure on our teens to drink while still underage is still pretty severe.”