As a student, Shayne McLaughlin demonstrates a love of learning and the level of commitment necessary to succeed in college and beyond. He has maintained a minimum 3.5 GPA and attends honors and AP courses and received a composite score of 27 on his first ACT test.  He participates in Parkway North’s symphonic and marching bands and enjoys competing in the Contest of Champions at Mizzou. Despite having severe bilateral hearing loss, he has overcome any learning or social obstacles he has encountered.

Shayne has distinguished himself as a leader and an involved member of his community. He currently holds a part-time position at Dierbergs while managing his school workload. His deep interest in and passion for technology prompted him to attend the summer program at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama for an aviation program, during which he served in a variety of leadership roles. While the pandemic prevented him from attending this program (where he had advanced to be able to fly a plane with support from a trained pilot), he plans to attend the technology summer program at the United States Space and Rocket Center.

Shayne was also accepted into South Tech's CISCO Networking Academy and will leave that program with at least three certifications, which give him a jump start on his chosen career in network administration. Shayne will also pursue his CISCO Computer Networking Assessment (CCNA), a challenging exam with a low pass rate due to its complexity. His CISCO instructor, Michele Myers, fully supports his nomination, as he also serves as the student ambassador for the program. Shayne has confidence in his knowledge of technology and believes he will excel and reach his goal of obtaining five certifications by the time he graduates and attends his post-secondary program.

Shayne is a Boy Scout and has obtained his Eagle Scout rank. He understands the impact and importance of his hearing loss and followed that passion for his Eagle Scout community project. At the Moog Center for the Deaf, where he attended early childhood for auditory and speech therapy as a young child, he created a sanctuary of bird and bat houses in an unused area of the school grounds. The sanctuary provides language and learning opportunities for the students that attend the center and gives teachers an opportunity to plan lessons for their students with a rich language experience. Shayne purchased the materials necessary for the project himself, cleared the area, and worked closely with the center’s founder and director to make his vision and his expectations come to life.

A fine role model and talented student, there is no doubt that Shayne will continue to excel in college, his musical pursuits, and his chosen career path.