Stratford Academy’s Shruti Gupta is Bibb County’s 2013 STAR student.

Gupta, who plans to major in chemistry in college and become a doctor in the Third World, said she felt “ecstatic” and “happy” after receiving the award at a banquet at Middle Georgia State College Tuesday night.

“I definitely was not expecting it at all,” she said.

For the Student Teacher Achievement Recognition Program, Bibb County’s public and private schools nominate a high school senior with the highest SAT score on a single test date and who ranks among the top 10 percent or top 10 students in his or her class.

Gupta earned a 2250 of a possible 2400 points on the SAT in one sitting, she said. However, by combining the highest scores on the reading, writing and math sections of SAT she has taken during more than one sitting, her SAT score is 2350.

Gupta will now go on to compete for the title of regional STAR student, and the regional winner will compete for state honors.

Each STAR student also chooses a teacher who has been influential in his or her high school career, and Gupta chose history and government teacher Michael Kelley.

“He teaches both inside and outside the classroom,” Gupta said. “That’s something not a lot of teachers do.”

With her intelligence, hard work and kindness toward others, Gupta will be successful in the future, Kelley said.

“I have no doubt she will be excellent,” Kelley said. “She will be able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to.”

The 2013 Bibb County Student Teacher Achievement Recognition banquet was hosted and sponsored by Middle Georgia State College, The Medical Center of Central Georgia and State Bank & Trust Company, along with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.

Other Bibb County students and teachers, respectively, are:

Shelby Moll and Brandon Daily, Central Fellowship Christian Academy; Alayna Williams and Marcia Wright, Central High School; Elizabeth Deborah McCullers and Cheryl Thomas, Covenant Academy; David Cobb Priester, Jr. and Barry Shealy, First Presbyterian Day School; Joseph A. Hornung and Jamie Akin, Howard High School; Nina Alexandra Le and Ron McLachlan, Mount de Sales Academy; Tanner Mitchell Smalling and Alvaro Henriquez, Rutland High School; William David Jackson and Otto Reitnauer, Tattnall Square Academy; and Jessica Brooke Etheridge and Richard Prady, Windsor Academy.