Being named the 2010 Good Citizen of the Year by the Oliver Wiley Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution could put pressure on the recipient. It could.

However, Shelley Cox said “maybe, but just a little.”

The Pike Liberal Arts School senior said she is proud and honored to be selected the 2010 Good Citizen of the Year by an organization that is deeply rooted in American history.

“The award and recognition does put a little pressure on me, but I take a lot of pride in my heritage,” Cox said. “We are all connected to our roots through our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. I’ve learned a lot about my family through the stories they tell and about our country, too. Our country has a great heritage, and I try to honor it.”

Cox is an honor student at Pike Liberal Arts. She is a member of the Student Government Association, Mentoring Matters and is a varsity cheerleader. She played forward and center on the 2010 Lady Patriots state championship basketball team.

In comparing the state championship to the Good Citizen award, Cox said both are special and also very different.

“Winning the state championship was a team effort,” she said. “It was not anything that I could have done by myself. It took all of us. The Good Citizen award was more personal. It was something that I had to do on my own. Both recognitions are important, and I’ll always remember them both.”

Being a good citizen means being a part of the community in which one lives. Cox is involved in community activities through her membership in the Twilighters, a social/service organization for young women of high school age.

“We participate in the Relay for Life campaign and the Heart Walk and other fund-raisers for charitable organizations,” she said. “We also visit the residents in the nursing homes here.”

Cox sings in the youth choir at First Baptist Church and also assists with Vacation Bible School.

She will attend Auburn University in the fall and pursue a career in architecture.

“I really like math and I’m creative, so architecture combines both so it should be an interesting career,” Cox said. “I hope to live every day to my potential and live up to the honor of being the 2010 Good Citizen of the Year of the Oliver Wiley Chapter DAR.

Cox is the daughter of Kenny and Lydia Cox of Troy.