🧑🏼🍳 COOKIN’ UP LEADERSHIP! 🧑🏼🍳
Today, staff began their most exciting, anticipated week of the year and welcomed our delegation to LYS #55! LYS 2025’s Theme: Cookin’ Up Leadership!
Staff spent the morning charging toward cars and buses, unloading luggage 🧳 and cheering 📣– all in the hopes that the delegation from across the state and the nation will quickly learn that LYS is the one place they cannot fail.
Delegates were divided into "home groups" where they met their Counselor and Junior Counselor, and ate lunch with their home group members. ***Meet our staff here 😎***
The 2025 Seminar officially kicked off with Opening Convocation where we first experience the power and enthusiasm of LYS. The convocation included welcoming speakers, introduction of the LYS theme song "No Man Is An Island", a wonderful skit by head table, the JC Dance, and much more...
Sunday evening, the delegation has the treat of getting to know each other through Mixer. Led by staffer Lucy John, Mixer is a time where the entire delegation gets together and participates in activities where you get to know someone new. They round out their night working on the presentations of their Home Group “Color, Mascot, Symbol and Theme” and preparing for the competitions on Monday. Talk to you tomorrow! Check back in for more pics soon!
Day 1: What’s cookin’? 🧅🧄🫑
DR. SONJA PRUITT-LORD LYS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord is the Executive Director of Louisiana Youth Seminar and Interim Vice Provost at San Diego State University, where she also leads in the field of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences. A proud LYS alumna and Hall of Fame member, Sonja first attended as a delegate in 1995 and has since served in nearly every leadership role at Seminar, including Program Director and member of the Board of Directors. Whether mentoring students in California or championing young leaders in Louisiana, she is passionate about helping others find their voice and create meaningful impact.
Parker Stanford & Caihren Wood
Parker is a Baton Rouge, LA native and a graduate of Catholic High School where he went on to obtain his undergrad at the Louisiana State University and his Master’s in Corporate Finance and Consulting at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder. In his non-LYS life, Parker is a Client Service Associate for the Boulder Legacy Group, a wealth management team of Morgan Stanley, in Boulder Colorado.
Caihren was born and raised in Vacherie, LA and graduated from St. James High School. He then attended Louisiana Tech University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and master’s in Business Administration. In his non-LYS life, Caihren works as an Operations Engineer at Lockheed Martin in Camden, Arkansas.
FIRST COURSE: OPENING CONVOCATION! 🍽️
Who are those people in the red shirts?
LYS is staffed by volunteer college students and young professionals who work throughout the week of LYS and year-round to implement an incredible week for our delegates. Each “home group” has a Counselor and Junior Counselor who are responsible for that group of delegates for the week. The staff is led by a “head table” of red shirts who support and direct them throughout the week.
***Meet the LYS staff here.***
PICTURES 📸 FROM 2025 MIXER!
Every day Head Table will award Group of the Day to the group that displays the most spirit, travels the best, and works well together all day. The Group of the Day receives the coveted LYS Flag (you can spot it in pictures throughout the week).
