New Hope student is honored for her impact in community
NEW HOPE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Exchange Club of Columbus named Marlie Tolleson the Youth of the Year Award recipient for 2024-2025.
She was nominated by a committee of teachers who saw the impact she was making at her school and in her community.
“I was very thankful because it just showed me that my hard work has paid off and that people recognize it,” Tolleson said. “So I’m very grateful that people noticed what I’ve been doing.”
Marlie has spent hours volunteering in her community, from serving in her church and wrapping Christmas gifts for families in need to involving herself in school clubs, the cheer team, and the show choir.
Music has played a role in shaping her life, and she has seen the impact it can make in others’ lives.
“I grew up in a family of musicians, and so I was always around music,” Tolleson said. “My family plays the guitar. My dad can play like every instrument that you can think of. And so I always grew up around that. And so I basically just fell in love with it. It was just natural for me to start singing and dancing.”
She realized that contributing to the lives around her meant more to her than she knew.
Marlie has tried to set a good example for students behind her and hopes other students will see that they can accomplish whatever they set out to do.
“I hope when people look at me that they can just see that, you can be involved in your school, you can go to all the sporting events, you can keep your grades up as long as you stick with it and have time management,” Tolleson said. “You can do it, and you can make a real difference in your school. My advice would be, just keep going because one day it will pay off. You know, if nobody sees it, you know that you did it in your heart, and it will pay off in the end.”
Marlie said she plans to spend the summer volunteering in Louisiana at a church camp to serve middle schoolers at an important time in their lives.
She plans to attend EMCC in the Fall and study Sports Nutrition, and in whatever path she chooses in life, she wants to continue serving others and have an impact on others’ lives.
