5 Young Women: Mom's 'selfless heart' inspires Kaylin Jean-Louis to help others
When Tallahassee native and Florida State University School senior Kaylin Jean-Louis talks, people listen. And that’s a good thing, because her message comes through loud and clear across the airwaves every week. “I just really enjoy bringing a smile to people’s faces,” she says with a smile.
Her community service, philanthropy, and willingness to help others in need has earned her recognition as one of Tallahassee’s 5 Young Women to Watch. “I am humbly honored by this honor because, even though I don’t do these things for recognition, it shows me that my efforts to make others' lives better are not in vain,” she shares.
For Kaylin, happiness and joy are the rewards of her choices. “I choose to give back to others in my community and use my voice for change because it provides me joy. I also chose to excel in my academics because it makes me happy. I feel the most excitement in life when I do things that I am passionate about,” she says matter-of-factly.
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You can hear that voice for yourself when you tune into her radio show and podcast, “Inspiring Moments with Kaylin,” and volunteering for her nonprofit organization, Kaylin’s Caring Konnections, which has the mission of sharing love, bringing smiles, and touching as many hearts as possible. Kaylin organizes donation drives, leads community initiatives, and organizes fundraisers to support important causes within the Leon County community.
Recently, Kaylin hosted the #WeGotYourBack Service Day community service initiative to distribute backpacks filled with essential and hygiene items for Tallahassee’s homeless. “My favorite aspect of life in Tallahassee is the many residents who come together to make the city a better place. Whether for a fundraiser, important movement, or community event, I can truly say that Tallahassee shows up!”
Kaylin’s inspiration to be someone who shows up comes from one of her role models, Michelle Obama, saying, “Her determination to advocate for and positively impact what she believes in motivates me to keep using my voice and life to do the same.”
She also turns to her mother, who also happens to be one of this year’s 25 Women You Need to Know. “One of my biggest inspirations is my mom because of her selfless heart for caring for others. Watching her face adversity and come back stronger inspires me to defy the odds no matter the obstacles in front of me.” Kaylin and her mother, Priscilla Jean-Louis, are the first mother-daughter duo to be recognized in the same year.
Her weekly radio show and podcast highlights the issues that are important to young people in our community, and in February 2021, she started the KCK Youth Care Too! Movement to recognize, honor, and celebrate youth who are serving as caregivers for sick or disabled parents, siblings, aging relatives, or loved ones, an experience she understands first-hand after spending years caring for her grandmother.
Through the KCK YCT Movement, Kaylin is now leading efforts to advocate for youth caregivers by bringing greater awareness and education relating to youth caregiver needs.
When she graduates this spring, she will earn an Associate’s Degree from Tallahassee Community College as well as her high school diploma. Then, she plans to attend college and study broadcast journalism. And she’s not slowing down, sharing, “throughout my collegiate years, I also plan to continue releasing motivational and thought-provoking conversations on my radio show and holding drives with my nonprofit organization.”
She consistently dedicates herself to elevating the lives of community members around her, inspiring those around her to do the same. But lest you think Kaylin spends all of her time organizing fundraisers and reaching area youth through her podcast, she’s also a typical teenager, enjoying playing her alto saxophone, drawing, journaling, exercising, and binge-watching TV shows. “I genuinely enjoy doing things that are creatively stimulating and peaceful.”
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 5 Young Women: Kaylin Jean-Louis enjoys 'bringing a smile'
