Page 35 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2018

Christopher Baldwin moved his family —– wife Gayda, daughter Michaela and Austin — to the Mississippi Gulf Coast three years ago from West Point, Mississippi. He works for FedEx and accepted the opportunity to be second-in-charge at the Gulfport facility.
“Moving here was the best for us because the Coast is a more artistic community, and has helped Austin develop and do more,” Gayda said.
Austin’s time at St. Martin High School has been productive. He will be graduating with a rank of 16 out of a class of 342 students. His extracurricular activities show his wide range of interests — Art Club, Beta Club, 4-H Club, Creative Writing Club, Book Club, Prom Committee, editor of Buzzy’s Beacon, and captain of the Quiz Bowl Team. On his own, he has studied Spanish, French, Italian and Mandarin. In addition, he’s been involved with the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. His mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was age 4.
“I didn’t think I would live to see my children graduate from high school. I was depressed, sad and overcome with fear when I was first diagnosed. But now I’m positive and thankful,” Gayda said. “I travel around the country talking about multiple sclerosis.”
Her only sense of sadness today is the thought
of her youngest child leaving home. Austin has scholarship offers from colleges and universities around Mississippi as well as campuses farther away, including Brown University in Rhode Island.
Surprisingly, Austin thinks he will be studying political science or public policy with the idea of attending law school. He will not be majoring in art.
“One of his gifted teachers in West Point wants him to major in history, since history is a passion, and minor in art. She doesn’t want him to abandon art,” Gayda said.
Austin inherited his artistic ability from his father who tinkers in photography, 3-D graphics and animations. As a child, Austin delved into cartography, and that evolved into portraits, landscapes and cityscapes. He won many school- sponsored art competitions. He recently painted the front of St. Martin High School.
“Austin took it to school to show his principal, and he said that God told him to give it to her, so he did,” Gayda said. The painting now hangs in the principal’s office.
Christopher and Gayda Baldwin are pleased with their children. “Austin and his sister both have academic scholarships. Austin has never given us any problems with school, he’s well mannered and respectful and does whatever we ask him to,” Gayda said. “But he’s still our baby.”
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April 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 35
Teen artist Austin Baldwin photographed by his father Christopher Baldwin. BELOW are two of his sidewalk chalk
drawings for the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, a painting of St. Martin High School, and the artist starting a wall mural.