Dowagiac Union High School senior Kasey Smith is no stranger to going the extra mile when it comes to her schoolwork.

For instance, it is not unusual for her to spend an entire evening scribbling down calculations or punching away at her keyboard. Putting in the minimum amount of effort has never been in the cards for Smith, as she has been known to stay up as late as 3 a.m. tweaking her assignments to absolute perfection, she said.

“I can easily pop out an essay in a few hours,” Smith said. “However, I would rather put a lot of work into it, to make it really good.”

This innate drive for excellence has paid off, in a very big way, as the senior has been named the salutatorian of this year’s graduating class, with a 3.98 GPA. Along with valedictorian Tristan Howard, Smith’s achievements have given her the opportunity to deliver a speech to the rest of her classmates during this year’s commencement ceremony, which takes place on May 31.

Smith’s dedication extends beyond just her exploits in the classroom, though. The Dowagiac girl spends much of her free time volunteering for various causes, including helping at the annual Relay for Life and working with animals at the South Bend Pet Refuge, she said.

“It’s more joyful for me to see other people happy than it is just focusing on my own happiness,” Smith said.

In addition to participating in National Honor Society, Chieftain Heart and Rotary Interact Club, Smith is a longtime member of the band program, playing trumpet with both the band and Solo & Ensemble, she said. She also participated in January’s 2015 Miss Dowagiac Scholarship Pageant, which gave her the opportunity to meet with girls outside her usual social circle, she said.

“They [the other contestants] were all really nice,” Smith said. “I really enjoyed the experience.”

While art is her personal favorite subject, analytical subjects such as science and math have always come easily to Smith, she said. The senior said she hopes the skills she learned in those classes come in handy when she begins taking courses at Southwestern Michigan College this fall, where she will study pre-pharmacy and psychology, she said. She hopes to eventually transfer to Ferris State to complete her studies.

In terms of her accomplishments thus far, though, Smith said she can easily look back at them with a smile on her face.

“I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “I’m glad I’m motivated myself to get to where I am now.”