Oxford Teen Recognized by State Senate

Oxford High Sophomore Keerthin Karthikeyan was recently recognized by the Mississippi Senate for his achievements as an Eagle Scout and for bringing “honor to his family, his community and the state of Mississippi.”

The 15-year-old had no idea about the special recognition until Sen. Nicole Boyd called Keerthin a week ago to tell him he had been recognized by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and the entire Senate at the State Senate session by the passing of a resolution in recognition of his accomplishments.

A few days later, Boyd visited Keerthin at his home in Oxford to present him with a copy of the resolution, complete with the official golden Mississippi seal.

“It was a really incredible experience to have been gifted with this state recognition,” Keerthin said. “It was an amazing honor. I was astounded that this meant that my name would be recorded in Mississippi’s senate forever. I’d like to thank Senator Nicole Boyd and Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann for this great recognition and presenting this certificate that I will treasure.”

Keerthin also gave a PowerPoint presentation about his trip to Washington D.C. in March where he helped deliver the Boy Scouts of America’s 2019 to the country’s leaders, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, Congressman Trent Kelly, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump.

Keerthin is a member of Troop 45 in Oxford, which is part of the Yocona Area Council. He earned his Eagle Scout rank last year after creating the American Flag Retirement Dropbox located at the Oxford Police Department. From the dropbox, the flags are delivered to the Oxford Fire Department for a flag retirement ceremony where flags are solemnly and respectfully cut and burned

In addition to scouting, Keerthin has excelled in academics as well, being a top spelling bee contender for several years. In 2019, he won a Silver Medal at the Genius Olympiad International Project Competition in New York City, with his project “Styro-Carbon: An Effective Approach to Recycle Styrofoam.”

Boyd said she looks forward to watching Keerthin continue to develop his leadership skills and expects him to continue to do great things.

“His engagement and commitment to excellence have put him on the path of having a tremendous impact on our community, state and nation,” Boyd said.