LOUISIANA, A DREAM STATE. ☀️

It’s been another jam-packed LYS day, we have a lot to report- so let's get right to it!

Spotlight Involvement session: Parliamentary Procedure (PP). Led by Mann Boughton, PP gives the delegates a chance to see firsthand how to run a proper meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order. This is the same order and terms used all over the country and even in the U.S. Senate! We hope students take what they learned in this session back to their schools and extracurricular activities. Of course, at LYS we emphasize how to run meetings efficiently, but in a fun-filled way!
This week we mentor our delegation to become not only Louisiana's future but to lead the future of Louisiana. In this session we reflect solely on our great state of Louisiana. “Dream State”, presented by sponsor Deloitte is a presentation that truly captures the essence of Louisiana, from its people to its scenery, to its truly diverse and unique cultures and traditions!
Our Dream State Panel 📣 of speakers (see below for more information) laid the groundwork for our groups to work on the 2022 Dream State Challenge 🤔. For Dream State Challenge, The delegates worked together in their home groups to develop a proposal that addresses the key challenges and gaps that Louisiana is experiencing around STEM opportunities. They used the information from the panelists, the design process, and their own experiences to create solutions that will make Louisiana a “Dream State.”
Today you get a double play, this afternoon we participated in another involvement session.
Speaking of dreams - the 2nd Spotlight involvement session of the day is Dreams to Reality led by staffer Danielle Jones. A delegate favorite, LYS’s Dreams to Reality involvement session allows participants to set goals and provides them the tools to verbalize their goals, dreams, and aspirations – past, present, and future. At the end of the session, each delegate writes an “I Will…” card that states what he or she “will” do by a date of their decision.
Tonight we are in the middle of the next step and most fun-filled, energetic part of the political party process- Can I get a Caucus?! We can’t wait to see what each party has in store! There will be skits, speeches, candy, campaigning, water guns, and, of course, lots of cheering!! And once all is said and done, the elected Tory party candidates and the Whig party candidates go head-to-head tomorrow in the LYS General Election 🐷 <<>>🐔.

Caucus Results

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Caucus Results -

For the WHIG Party 🐷

Chairperson - Elle Boughton, Party Hats

Secretary/Treasurer - Natalie Himel, Decorations

Vice President - Deporres Taplette, Streamers

President - Devarre Dyson, Streamers

For the Tory Party 🐔

Chairperson - Lucy John, Clocks

Secretary/Treasurer - Jack Romer, Streamer

Vice President - Regan Archie, Sparklers

President - Jake Roberts, Favors

“Leadership is a muscle that you have to keep working out and exercising.”

— Rob Wise

Rob Wise - panel moderator

Owner & CEO of ITinspired

Rob Wise finds fulfillment by impacting and inspiring those around him using the “platinum rule”. Rob incorporates this philosophy in his work as CEO and co-owner of ITinspired, which has been recognized as a best place to work for two straight years and a LSU Top 100 Tiger Led business. He is also a mentor with the American Academy of Entrepreneurs and Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge and serves on a number of non-profit boards such as the Junior League of Baton Rouge, and the Louisiana Resource Center for Educators.

Rob is a graduate of Louisiana State University as well as a former LSU Cheerleader and Mike the Tiger mascot. He and his wife Michelle, have two kids and are proud to call Baton Rouge home.

“90% of leadership is about how you care for people. If the members of your team feel psychologically safe, they will do anything they can to make sure that the team looks good. ”

— Brian Davis

Brian davis

Director of Applications Development at NOLAvate

Brian Davis is the Director of Business Technology at LSU Online & Continuing Education where he collaborates in developing an online platform that helps students get their degrees and gain new skills. He also works as an independent consultant helping small businesses scale their operations and gives back to the entrepreneur community as a leader for the StartupBus. An organization that hosts a startup accelerator, hackathon, and pitch competition - all on a bus! And, Brian has been a partner with NOLAvate Black assisting with their diversity recruitment programming and was a 2021 NOLA Tech honoree.

“My advice to my younger self would be: It’s not going to be easy in fact, it is going to be really hard sometimes, just keep working at it. ”

— Jessica Henkel

Dr. Jessica henkel

Science Advisor and Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council

Dr. Jessica Renee Henkel serves as the Deputy Director to the Chief Scientist at The Water Institute of the Gulf, a research institution working to advance science and solve complex environmental and societal challenges. She has over 15 years of experience in coastal and conservation research, collaborative science, and regional planning. Prior to joining the Water Institute, she served as the Science Advisor for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, a federal agency working across the Gulf states to implement coastal restoration. Dr. Henkel is an alum of Stony Brook University, the University of New Orleans, and received her Ph.D. from Tulane University.

“A real leader brings clarity, they know “this is what we do”, “this is who we do it for”, and “this is why we do it” and they never stray from that mission. ”

— Greg Trahan

greg trahan

Director of Economic Development at LSU

Greg Trahan serves as LSU’s Director of Economic Development, working to build industry and community partnerships across LSU to advance technology and talent development. In his time at LSU he developed the Office of Industry Engagement which led to over $300 million in philanthropic and research commitments. LSU’s economic development partners with numerous entities including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation. He was recently appointed by LSU President Tate to Governor Edwards’ Cybersecurity Commission. He is a native of Abbeville, LA and a graduate of LSU.