Two athletes from Natchitoches schools,Caylin Demars and Graeme Fidelak, are
entering their freshman year of college with financial support from Natchitoches
Leadership Through Athletics Committee(NLTAC) and the United Steel Workers Local 13-01331 after receiving the inaugural Andre’ Jackson Sr. Memorial Scholarship
at the Legacy Café, Saturday, Aug. 13. The NLTAC awarded $1,000 each to Demars
and Fidelak during an outdoor ceremony that honored their athletic and academic accomplishments as well as the life of Andre’ “Popeye” Jackson Sr., who passed away in 2021.
Demars is attending Grambling State University, where he
plans to major in business management and continue playing as a
running back for the Tigers. He described the significance of the
award. “Knowing Andre’, he was a good person and helpful if
you had a need. It means a lot for him to help me through school
as well,” he says. He also reveals his future goal. “I want to be an
entrepreneur and own a business.”
Fidelak is attending the University of Denver where he intends to major in
international business, but plans on “hanging up the cleats” to focus
on his studies. He explains that he selected University of Denver in part because of family ties to the area. “My Uncle lives 15 minutes from campus,
and his oldest daughter is going there for grad school this year… That’s how I found out about the school.” He describes the scholarship’s impact on him. “I
appreciate them nominating me for this and I’m honored to have it.”
The annual scholarship honors the achievements of distinguished athletes from
three schools in Natchitoches Parish: Lakeview, St. Mary’s and Natchitoches
Central.
Correction: The printed version of this article incorrectly stated that a third athlete, Abigail Ramian, was awarded a scholarship from the NLTAC. Ramian was recognized by NLTAC for being the top female athlete for the year in a separate ceremony, but was not a recipient of the Andre’ Jackson Sr. Memorial Scholarship.
