EDGEWOOD, Ky. — Owen Caudill is a born leader. He said, “I was raised to always do the best I can,” and the senior at Dixie Heights High School in northern Kentucky does it in a variety of ways, excelling in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.

It’s no surprise that the son of two educators is a straight-A student, but he makes his biggest impact outside the classroom. He knows his generation can be stereotyped for being selfish, but he pushes back.

Caudill said, “A lot of teenagers actually enjoy giving back to their community and feel a sense of it’s a nice feeling to give back to people.”

He does that through multiple community service efforts, including sharing his passion for baseball with kids with disabilities through the “Bambino Buddy” program.

He said, “I love baseball so much that I feel sad that a lot of kids can’t do that because it’s such a great game. I help mentor kids with disabilities how to play because unfortunately some kids aren’t completely healthy to where they can play. It’s not gonna look like real baseball, but it’s just the fact that they’re enjoying themselves and having fun is what matters to me.”

Owen Caudill loves baseball: playing and mentoring those with disabilities to learn the game (photo courtesy Owen Caudill)

In fact, he said baseball provides great life lessons, adding, “As a player you want to be able to do everything and you want to be the guy to have the game-winning catch or the big hit, but sometimes you’ve just got to get on base and let another guy move you over. It’s teamwork in order to win the game.”

His science teacher Sarah Osbourne is also a family friend and said Owen’s desire to look out for others is an inspiration.

She said,“He’s one of those kids that when he walks in, he’s in the room for the right reasons, like the good reasons. He just has a positive aura around him and he’s always smiling. He does things to make other people better. He does things to make himself better.”

That effort extends to his classmates at DHHS. He’s a student ambassador to welcome new kids to school and he’s a big part of the school’s “Hope Squad”, where the the most compassionate students are elected by their peers to lead an effort to prevent teen suicide.

It’s an issue that he thinks needs more attention.

He said “A lot of teenagers, myself included, are just struggling in their own head. They feel isolated. They feel alone. I don’t like that anybody has to feel like that. I joined Hope Squad because I wanted people to feel like they had someone to talk to. A lot of kids are afraid to reach out and try to ask for help whether you’re having trouble in school or with a sport and you’re just in your own head. It’s easier a lot of times when you talk to somebody. It takes a lot of stress off your shoulders. I’ve learned that everybody’s different in their own way and that’s a great thing. I love that.”

Owen Caudill is Prom King at Dixie Heights High School (photo courtesy Owen Caudill)

Osborne said a star athlete and elite student who is also Prom King could easily put himself above others, but instead he goes out of his way to help.

She said, “He’s kind. I have two kids of my own and if they turned out an inch, just a smidge of what Owen is, I know that I did something right. He brings people in, it’s a positive thing, and he’s definitely here to make things better.”

That mindset is why Owen Caudill is a deserving High School Scholar. Spectrum News 1 is proud to award him $1,000 toward his college education.