Meet the eight Shreveport Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Young Woman 2023 Honorees
The second annual Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Young Woman Awards hosted by Holy Angels are almost here and the eight honorees have been carefully selected.
The young women selected have shown a commitment to leadership, poise and determination demonstrated through meaningful acts of philanthropy for her fellow students and community.
Get to know the honorees below before the awards ceremony on Thursday, March 9.
Helaina Ballis
Senior at Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Helaina Ballis is a volunteer at the Gingerbread House where she is the first high school student to intern, the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, Spread the Success, and Girl Up among others.
Ballis is a double recipient of the Mary Jane Malone Creative Writing Award, is a member of the National Honor Society, the founder and team captain of Magnet's Destination Imagination team, is an AP scholar, and is currently enrolled in TAPS Visual Arts program. Her community involvement began as a Girl Scout before moving on to working with nonprofits that align with her personal interests like The Gingerbread House, Teen Court and the Norton Art Gallery.
"I believe that Shreveport-Bossier has remarkable potential, but the materialization of that potential is the responsibility of the cities' youth and the elected officials," said Ballis. "I love Shreveport-Bossier and hope that current residents along with people my age will continue to work to make it a much more progressive, safe and art-infused community that still reflects its classically southern roots."
Kynnedi Banks
Senior at Airline High School
Kynnedi Banks is part of the Student Council Buddy Program, the Freshman Mentor Council and National Honor Society. She is also Student Body Vice President, is co-editor of the school newspaper and a Mu Alpha Theta Club member.
Banks wanted to get involved in community service because of her faith and chose organizations that would allow her to be a servant leader. The one event that shaped Banks the most was serving alongside student council at Plantation Park and bonding with the kids there.
"To me community service is love, giving back is love," said Banks. "Having the love in your heart to do such a graceful thing as a community service is simply beautiful. Seeing the impact that one person or even a small group could have on their community reminds me of the love in society."
Caroline Carberry
Senior at C.E. Byrd High School
Caroline Carberry is the Marketing and Design Chair at the Teen Advisory Committee for Northwest Louisiana Step Forward, donor and coordinator for Pack the Pantry for NWLA Food Bank through student council, a volunteer lifeguard for the IronFish Triathlon and more.
Carberry is an AP Scholar with Distinction, is on the LHSAA All-Academic Composite Swim Team, received the DAR Good Citizen Award and the Presidential Service Award. Carberry said community service was a natural path for her since she spent her whole life helping out others through her church and loved helping people.
"Community service doesn't mean grand events or huge projects. They absolutely have a huge role in the umbrella of community service, but they are not the sole contributors to the definition of community service as a whole. To me, community service means giving your own time to service the people around you."
Aryana Marcelina Gaeta
Senior at Bossier High School
Aryana Marcelina Gaeta is a Louisiana Girls State Governor finalist, Governor of the Nationalist Party, Mayor for Bogafalya, captain of the soccer team and President of the National Honor Society. Gaeta is also part of the Students Against Destructive Decisions, National Honor Society, green jackets and principal ambassadors.
Gaeta said teaching Spanish at The Lovewell Center has given her the opportunity to spread her heritage to others and would love for Shreveport-Bossier to become violence-free and become a melting pot where everyone gets along and has equal opportunities.
"I love giving back to my community and helping others and to me community service is the little things that I can offer the world at this point in my life and what my heart desires to give it," said Gaeta.
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Tyhlar Ann Holliway
Senior at Captain Shreve High School
Tyhlar Ann Holliway is Louisiana Girls State Governor, is a Distinguished Scholar, received the AP College Board National African American Recognition Award, the recipient of the AP Scholar with Honor Award and more.
Holliway is an intern at the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office, is the President of the Shreveport Chapter of Top Teens of America, the Z Club co-president, Vice President of the National Honor Society and Prosecuting Attorney of the Volunteers for Youth Justice Teen Court.
"The conditions of Shreveport-Bossier should break the hearts of every citizen in our community who love and cherish this area that we call home," said Holliway. "I would love to see Shreveport-Bossier transform into a more united community, filled with more compassion and love for each other, and commitment to the betterment and beautification of our neighborhoods."
Serenity Palmer
Senior at Huntington High School
Serenity Palmer is graduating with two associate degrees from Southern University at Shreveport, is ranked number eight in her class with a 4.8 GPA. She is the captain of the basketball and track and field teams.
Palmer said her time with the Huntington student council allowed for her to bond with her peers, get to know local elders and gain more insight on the community while giving her an easy way to be a better server and person.
"Community service resembles love to me," said Palmer. "Community service is more than just packing trash and cleaning gutters. Community service is also sitting with elders, helping out at shelters, uplifting children and most of all being a great server."
Vivienne Emmalene Webb
Junior at Caddo Parish Magnet High School
Vivienne Emmalene Webb frequently travels to Baton Rouge to meet with policymakers to educate them on the choices they make affect people with developmental disabilities. In 2019 she successfully advocated for funding for the two lowest-funded Human Service Districts in the state. Webb now serves as a Governor appointed, Senate-confirmed voting member on the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council as a self-advocate with autism, epilepsy and anxiety.
Webb credits her mother with teaching her the importance of being mindful of others and that everything they do affects the people around them even if they don't realize it. Since then, she wanted to help others and does that through her work on the Louisiana Development Disabilities Council.
"I want a better future for Shreveport-Bossier," said Webb. "I hope our area has consistent crisis intervention teams to help intervene rather than the police when an autistic child has a meltdown so the situation will not escalate and result in harm to the person. I want to see people with developmental disabilities have full access to their community as well as all the service that help us access it."
Ryleigh Williams
Senior at Bossier High School
Ryleigh Williams is the Student of the Year at Bossier High School and the Louisiana Girls State Delegate. She serves on the student council, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Student 2 Student, National Honors Society, Green Jackets and is Student Body representative.
Williams want for a better environment for her and her peers is what encouraged her to get involved with the community. The Ellis Pottery events she works allowed her to gain more experience and knowledge working with kids.
"Community service is not only beneficial for the community, but it also benefits you," said Willaims. "Since getting involved with many organizations and clubs outside of school, my communication skills have improved and I now have more work experience that what I went in with. it honestly opens a lot of doors and opportunities for young people and volunteer work is overall beneficial for everyone."
Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Meet the Shreveport Most Influential Young Woman 2023 honorees
