Chamber Selects Outstanding Young Citizens

The Chamber Annual Banquet is slated for Thursday, May 10th at the Grand Opera House of the South where they will honor the Business of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year. This year the Chamber has expanded their Outstanding Young Citizen award to the entire parish—one student from each High School in Acadia Parish. These distinguished scholars are not only brilliant in intellect, but have also dedicated much time of their years to volunteerism and civic activities in their respective communities.

Kylie Elise Reed is the daughter of Denny and Julee Reed of Eunice. Kyle is a senior at Church Point High School where she has maintained a GPA of 4.0. At Church Point, she was involved in cheerleading, Student Council, Beta Club, Spanish Club, Science Club, Chess Club, Art Club & Yearbook. Outside of school, Kylie is involved with St. Edwards Catholic Church in Richard. She has also helped out with numerous benefits and blood drives. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Louisiana State University in Eunice to purse a degree in Nursing, then plans to further her education to become a travel nurse or attend medical school to become an OBGYN or midwife.

Chloe Von Sibley is the daughter of Crystal Morgan and Beau Sibley. She is a senior at Crowley High School where she has maintained a 3.5 GPA throughout her years. Chloe is Senior Class Secretary, Captain of the cheer squad, President of the Art Club and Senior Editor of the CHS Yearbook. Outside of school, she has participated in the Carnival D’Acadie poster contest. In 2017, Chloe’s artwork was chosen for the festival poster! She has also held her own art exhibition to raise money for an educational trip to Europe. After graduation, Chloe has plans to pursue a degree in nursing to become a Neo-Natal Nurse Practitioner. She aspires to work with and raise awareness for children with Down syndrome.

Jon Devan Mouton is the son of Jon and Nicole Mouton of Iota. Jon is a senior at Iota High School where he has maintained a GPA of 4.08 throughout his four years. While at Iota, Jon has been involved with Student Council, Youth Group, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Beta Club, Iota Baseball and was co-founder of Youth Revolution. Upon graduation in May, Jon plans to attend Louisiana College where he will continue his baseball career while pursuing a degree in Finance.

Benjamin Christian Doughty is the son of Connie and Christian Doughty of Crowley. Benjamin is a senior at Midland High School where he has maintained a GPA of 4.13. At Midland, Benjamin stayed very involved with Student Council throughout his four years, serving freshman representative and then working his way up to Vice President and Student Body President. He also spent much of his time working with 4-H, Yearbook and the National Beta Honor Society. Outside of school, he stayed busy working with Ms. Helen’s Soup Kitchen, Crowley Christian Care, numerous schools and churches as well as organized efforts for flood and hurricane victims over the years. After Graduation, he plans to attend Louisiana College to study biology with a concentration in psychology. Benjamin has future plans of attending medical school and completing a residency in pediatrics. From there, he plans on traveling with ‘Food for the Hungry’ as a medical volunteer to feed and serve malnourished children.

Alyssa Nicole Williams is the daughter of Thomas and Dawn Williams of Egan. Alyssa is a senior at Notre Dame High School where she has maintained a GPA of 3.75. While at Notre Dame Alyssa was involved with Drama Club, Speech and Debate, Quiz Bowl, Campus Ministry, Beta Club, Choir, and 4-H where she held the role of President. She also was a member of Varsity Volleyball, Basketball and Track. Outside of school, she was involved with numerous other organizations such as Acadia Parish Farm Bureau, Louisiana Farm Bureau, Crowley Professional Women’s Association and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Alyssa has also held the titles of 2014 Jr. Miss Acadia Parish and 2015 Teen Miss Crowley. During her reins she was very involved with the City of Crowley, volunteering for numerous events such as Witchy Way, Christmas in Crowley and the Car and Tractor Show just to name a few. Alyssa is also a devoted member of St. Michael Catholic Church in Crowley. Upon Graduation, Alyssa will be attending the University of Montevallo in Alabama on a basketball scholarship while pursuing a degree in history with a minor in philosophy. After, she plans to attend either Franciscan University or Duke University to obtain her doctorate in theology with hopes of becoming a professor of theology or a high school director of religious education.

Zera Gabrielle Hanagriff is the daughter of Ryan and Mandy Hanagriff of Crowley. Zera is a senior at Northside Christian School where she has maintained a GPA of 3.89. At Northside, Zera has been a member of the Basketball, Volleyball, Cheerleading and Softball Teams. She has also been very involved in the Beta Club serving her school and community. Outside of school, she has been highly involved with numerous churches around the community, the 2016 Crowley Flood Relief, Encore Healthcare & Rehabilitation and the New Orleans Next Era Campaign raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco use. After Graduation in May, Zera has future plans to attend Louisiana State University in Eunice studying pre-pharmacy before moving to the University of Louisiana at Monroe to complete her degree.  Upon graduation, she would like to return to Crowley to seek employment in a local pharmacy, begin a family and follow in her father’s footsteps of coaching recreational softball to the children of her community.

Lanisha Renee Francis is the daughter of Chris Pleasant and Wilbert Francis of Rayne. She is a senior at Rayne High School where she has maintained a GPA of 3.8. Lanish is an active member in the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she is very involved in her church and in Rayne’s Ebonite Civic & Social Club. After graduation, she plans to attend McNeese State University to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

A social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. with dinner to follow at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available in the Chamber office. For questions, please contact the office at (337) 788-0177.