Written by Wendy Smith

“Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face. It is about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and most importantly, a beautiful soul.”

These words from an unknown author perfectly describe Stigler High School senior Emily Gibson.

“Beauty is what people possess on the inside rather than the outside,” Gibson said.

Emily has been a member of the SHS varsity cheerleading squad for the past four years and this year was chosen cheer captain.

“The thing I love most about being a Lady Panther is cheering on Friday nights, watching all the kids in our community do our cheers with us,” said Emily, who picked up her first pompom when she was three.

While at Stigler, Emily has been a top five in OSSAA Competitive Cheer three times and a Game Day qualifier once, and this year was named All-Region cheer.

“All-Region was very nerve-racking in the beginning. I was scared to compete against all the other athletes, but once I did my cheer, I was relieved and was confident about what I put in front of the judges,” said Emily, who is also in student council and president of the senior class.

Emily’s hard work has paid off in another big way after attending a cheer camp in December where college coaches from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith were taking notice of her talents.

‘They recruited me that very day,” she said. “I felt super accomplished when the coaches told me they wanted me on their team. It has been a long time and to finally achieve that, knowing that all my hard work finally paid off felt amazing.”

Emily didn’t hesitate when questioned about who helped her achieve that goal.

“My mom has pushed me to be the best that I can be. She has taken me to every college cheer camp I wanted to attend and has supported me from day one,” said Gibson. “I can’t thank her enough for everything she has done for me. I love her so much.”

Emily plans to major in elementary education at UAFS and hopes to become a cheer coach someday.

“We are so proud of Emily and the work she has put in,” said Stigler High School cheer coach Angie Citty.