[gdlr_frame type=”border” align=”center” caption=”Photo by Zac White”][gdlr_image_link type=”image” image_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Mayor-Yarber-Eli.jpg” link_url=”https://www.jxnpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Mayor-Yarber-Eli.jpg” alt=””][/gdlr_frame]
By Zipporah Jones
When he was younger, Eli Bettiga played many sports and learned how to work with a team. He says that being on a sports team helped him learn many life lessons, and he applied these life lessons to his schoolwork.
In fact, this 17-year-old incoming senior at Northwest Rankin High School is the treasurer of Mu Alpha Theta, a two-year member of the National Honors Society and the vice president of Yoga Club at Northwest. Bettiga also does a lot of video editing at his school. He is the editor of both the Paw Web Series and Cougar Broadcasting Network at his school. He has big hopes for the future, and he plans to become an engineer when he graduates college.
Education is not Bettiga’s only focus, though. He has a love for all kinds of music, and he plays piano. He also produces music in his in-home studio. Bettiga says his brothers are his biggest influences when it comes to music, and they are the ones who got him into music production. His brothers have always been a big part of his life; he has learned important lessons and skills while being around them.
Bettiga has produced two albums under the name Lost Puppet Society titled, “Life Amongst the Fallen Leaves” and “ As Long As My Eyes Will Let Me.” He has, so far, created his project on his own, but as his sound grows, he wishes to expand his horizon and reach out to other musicians to improve his work. His passion for music is apparent in the way he speaks about it, and the detail he goes into when describing the type of music he is into such as electronic.
At age 3, Bettiga moved from St. Paul, Minn., to Brandon, Miss., with his parents and two older siblings, Beau and Kash. Bettiga loves the Jackson metro, saying it has great potential—something many places lack.
Because of his love for his community, Bettiga gives back. Every two weeks, Bettiga tutors children at Northshore Elementary who may be struggling in certain subjects. He also volunteers at the Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi one to two times a week.
Many responsibilities and tasks are thrown at Bettiga because he is involved in so many things, and he says that can be stressful at times. For a hard worker like him, success is always a must, and he prides himself on keeping an open mind. He naturally is never satisfied, and that is what makes him a hard worker, he believes.
[gdlr_quote align=”center” ]“Living up to my own expectations,” he says, “is one of the things I struggle with.”[/gdlr_quote]
