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 of the Day: Parliamentary Procedure (PP) 📕. Led by Ruthie Helms, 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 just be Louisiana's future, but to lead the future of Louisiana. In this session we reflect solely on our great state of Louisiana. “Dream State” 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 Speaker 📣 Rob Wise and his panel laid the groundwork for our groups to work on the 2025 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.
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 Henry Morse. 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 🍭 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 (🐔 v. 🐷). Shoutout to Political Party Assistants Keagan Davis (Tory) and Deporres Taplette (Whig)!

CHECK BACK IN THE MORNING AFTER CAUCUS FOR OUR WINNERS!

For the WHIG Party 🐷

Chairperson - Savannah jane bexley

Secretary/Treasurer - jared lane

Vice President - Kaitlyn hansley

President - adrian douglas

For the Tory Party 🐔

Chairperson - Luke saddler

Secretary/Treasurer - wynter williams

Vice President - samantha polausky

President - micah waguespack

On the menu today?
🧑🏼‍🍳 Speakers and Problem solving ✨

DREAM STATE SPEAKERS

Rob Wise | Moderator
Rob Wise is the CEO and Owner of ITinspired, a technology services company headquartered in Baton Rouge. As moderator of the Louisiana Youth Seminar’s Dream State panel, Rob brings his experience as a business leader, motivator, and mentor to help inspire the next generation of Louisiana changemakers.

Rob is a former Mike the Tiger, and long-time friend of LYS, Rob brings a homegrown spirit to the Louisiana Dream State Panel.

Will Warner | Panelist

Will Warner serves as the Deputy and Business Excellence Leader for Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) Quality and Lean, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. A proud LYS alumnus, Will attended the Seminar from 1999 to 2002 and currently serves on the LYS Board—crediting LYS as a key influence in his leadership journey. He now lives in New Orleans, supporting NASA's most ambitious space initiatives while continuing to champion the next generation of Louisiana leaders.

Sonja Pruitt-Lord | Panelist

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.

Learn more about our Dream State panelists here!

“Raise your expectations of those in power—demand more. They may underestimate you, but never forget the strength of your voice. As leaders, you have both the right and the responsibility to speak up and drive change in your schools and communities. Be bold. Be part of the solution. We need you—and there’s no better time or place to begin than right here, right now.”

— Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord, Executive Director, LYS