Meet the six Shreveport Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Young Woman 2024 Honorees
The third annual Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Young Woman Awards hosted by Holy Angels and sponsored by Red River Bank and the Shreveport Times is almost here and the six honorees have been carefully selected.
The Most Influential Young Woman nominations will go to those who are high school juniors or seniors whose leadership, poise and determination are demonstrated through meaningful acts of philanthropy for their fellow students or community.
Get to know the honorees below before the awards ceremony March 7.
Elsie Jane Adams
C.E. Byrd High School
Elsie Jane Adams is the captain of the Varsity Cheer team at C.E. Byrd. She also serves as the Vice President of the National Honor Society, Treasurer of the Beta Club, Service Chair of the Zonta Club and Executive Officer of Gayarre History Club.
Aside from her leadership positions, she is also an active member in the Student Council, Astra Club, Top Jackets, Lyle Leaders, Mu Alpha Theta and Key Club.
Outside of school, Adams devotes many hours per month to serving her community through events at Christus Hospital, Life United Church, Common Ground and St. Paul’s Day School.
Adams has completed over 200 hours of volunteer work just this year. For her community service, she has received the Presidential Service Award. She is also an AP Scholar with Distinction. She has received the AP Capstone Diploma, Silver Academic Key, and First Place in the Holocaust Remembrance Service’s Essay Contest, along with being a Student of the Year Finalist.
Adams is a dedicated dancer of Shreveport Dance Academy’s competitive dance team and a former seven-year member of the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet. She also participates in Centenary College’s Piano Preparatory Program, performing in competitions and recitals throughout the year.
Chloe Liles
C.E. Byrd High School
Chloe Liles is president of the Beta Club, vice president of the Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, Astra Club and more.
Through these clubs, she has had the opportunity to participate in many donations and service projects, such as Night to Shine and d packing Christmas boxes for children in El Salvador.
Liles is a student in the Talented Art Program is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a recipient of the AP Capstone Diploma, Presidential Service Award and the Caddo Lodge #179 F&AM Honesty and Integrity Award.
Liles has also won the NSCDA Colonial Dames Essay Contest. As a winner of this essay contest, she was able to go to Washington D.C. and take part in a Congressional Seminar.
Outside of school, Liles is a SMART Program student at LSUHS, where she can explore research opportunities. She has been in the SMART Program since June of 2023. While in the SMART Program, she has focused on The Impact of Gamma Radiation on Stress Signaling Regulation of Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis.
She plans to attend Tulane University, where she will major in Cell and Molecular Biology.
Ceriah Nicole Cummings
Captain Shreve High School
Ceriah Nicole Cummings is not only a distinguished scholar but a published author in the Library of Congress. She received the AP Scholar with Honor Award and the Presidential Service Award while being selected to be a part of the prestigious Xavier Distinguished Scholar program.
She has earned over 15 college hours through dual enrollment with LSUS and SUSLA, while also becoming CPR certified.
Cummings has earned over 300 community service hours while dedicating her time to better the community around her. Over her senior year, she volunteered as a student aid to a visually impaired student.
Cummings makes positive changes in her school by being a representative of the Student Council, National Honors Society member, vice president of Mu Alpha Theta and also event coordinator for Z Club and vice president of this season’s Shreveport Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Cummings also volunteers with a youth group, Young Distinguished Gentlemen, to beautify the community through service. She feels that representation is an important component in fostering a sense of success and diligence in the youth.
Shanayia Baker
Bossier High School
Shanayia Baker is a senior at Bossier High School and at the age of 12 she was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety. These diagnoses led her into some difficult times but resulted in an increased motivation to conquer all obstacles and make a difference in the lives of others.
Baker said to accomplish her goals she had to dedicate as many hours as possible to extracurricular activities and service across school and her community.
She has served as President for the National Honor Society, captain of the cheer squad and has been a member of Green Jackets and yearbook staff.
Baker was also selected by faculty to be a Louisiana Girls’ State Delegate where she was named Parish Treasurer.
Baker is a proud member of the ALTERED NWLA mentorship program and has served as a Defense Attorney for Teen Court.
Other clubs and organizations she has been active in include the Homecoming Court, Student Council, SADD, FCA and NSHSS.
Baker plans to further her education by attending Dillard University and majoring in clinical psychology with a minor in law studies.
Baker said, "The field of Mental Health Advocacy is where I hope to be the change I want to see in the world."
Aashni Shah
Caddo Magnet High School
Aashni Shah is a junior at Caddo Magnet High. In addition to excelling in academics, she is passionate about giving back to the community.
Shah is president and co-founder of her school’s Current Events Club, through which she volunteers with Common Ground's food pantry and organizes fundraisers for local issues — most recently, a large product drive for the wildfire victims of southwest Louisiana.
Shah is also involved with Caddo Magnet's Key Club, National Honor Society and Girl Up, where she is part of Broadmoor STEM Academy's "Big Sister, Little Sister" program.
Outside of school, Shah serves as president of the local YWCA youth board. With YWCA, Shah conducts events advocating for gender equality, specifically for young elementary and middle school-aged girls.
She was one of the keynote speakers at YWCA’s “Women Who Care, Share” luncheon in August 2023 and was also recently chosen to serve on the Teen Advisory Committee of NWLA.
Beyond community service, Shah is part of Caddo Magnet’s varsity tennis team and enjoys playing the piano and performing at various musical events.
Shah's passion is scientific research where she has earned many accolades at science fairs and symposiums on multiple levels. Notably, she was invited to present her research at the Aerospace Medical Association’s 93rd international conference in New Orleans in May 2023.
Shah is interested in pursuing a career in the medical field while continuing to give back to the community and stay involved in service projects.
Hannah Mae Addison
Haughton High School
Hannah Mae Addison is the daughter of a United States Air Force Veteran and calls Bossier City home after her father retired.
Addison is a senior at Haughton High School where she is Drum Major of the Haughton High School’s Big Red Buccaneer Band, President of the Haughton High School Tri-M Music Honor Society, President of the Junior Optimist Club and a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Haughton High School Red Jackets.
Addison has received numerous accolades while a student at Haughton High School including being named a 2024 Student of the Year Finalist, Homecoming Band Sweetheart and inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa College Honor Society.
She has a heart that loves people where they are and finds joy in serving on the Providence House Youth Advisory Board. Addison wants others to know that, although they may have a need, that need does not define them, rather, it can empower them.
She has obtained hundreds of hours of community service in her various roles.
She has also previously collected over 2,000 new books for a local elementary school, gathered hundreds of blankets for a nursing home and has provided countless hours to the betterment of her community.
Addison aspires to go into the field of forensic science and one day join the FBI.
The 2024 Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman and Most Influential Young Woman Award luncheon March 7, 2024, at East Ridge Country Club.
To purchase tickets or tables visit https://www.laholyangels.org/events/most-influential-woman/
More: There’s still time to nominate an influential woman
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Meet the six Shreveport Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Young Woman 2024 Honorees
