2024-2025 Youth Advisory Board
The Reengagement Center Youth Advisory Board ensures that young people's voices remain at the center of the Reengagement Center's work. Board members provide feedback on programs and services, identify emerging needs, and help shape initiatives that impact young people across Greater New Orleans.
By bringing their lived experiences, ideas, and leadership to the table, Youth Advisory Board members play a vital role in strengthening the REC and advancing solutions that are informed by and accountable to young people.
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Taylar Allen is a compassionate and driven young leader whose competitive spirit has shaped her journey from an early age. What began as turning everything into a challenge evolved into a deep commitment to sports, including baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, and track. Encouraged by supportive coaches and her mother’s guidance, she developed discipline and resilience that now fuel both her athletics and academics. At seventeen, Taylar channels that same determination into excelling in softball while preparing for a future in technology. She hopes to expand opportunities for youth, using her drive to create lasting impact in her community.
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Dontia is a thoughtful and purpose-driven young leader whose foundation was shaped by watching her parents work tirelessly to create a softer life for their children. Their quiet consistency taught her that real dedication shows up daily, even when no one is watching. Initially pursuing nursing at Dillard, a counseling assignment revealed her calling in a different kind of healing. Now a senior Psychology major graduating Spring 2026, Dontia is committed to expanding mental health access in New Orleans, especially within Black families. She hopes to remind youth that asking for help is not weakness, but strength.
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Emani is a reflective and resilient young leader whose strength is rooted in her mother’s example. As the oldest child, she witnessed every hardship up close—the late nights, the pressure, and the quiet grace her mother carried through it all. Those experiences shaped her belief that she is meant to endure and rise above challenges. Despite navigating sadness and shifting friendships, Emani remains grounded in faith and loyalty. Fueled by her siblings and driven by purpose, she balances growth and academics with intention. She hopes to empower New Orleans youth to feel confident, proud, and capable of thriving.
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Keviyon is a resilient and purpose-driven young leader whose strength was shaped long before she found the courage to explain herself. Growing up in a home where raised voices often replaced comfort, she learned what it felt like to go unheard—and how powerful it is to truly be seen. Through long nights and stubborn mornings, she carried hope as proof she was more than her circumstances. Today, that hope fuels her voice. Guided by empathy and intention, Keviyon is committed to creating spaces where young people feel worthy without having to earn it.
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Le’Ge is a determined and grounded young leader whose commitment to family and legacy shapes her path forward. Growing up in the 9th Ward, she was surrounded by a community that was strong, loud, flawed, loving, and fighting to survive. Early on, she learned that your environment can either define you or build you—and she chose to let it build her. Those lessons became the foundation for how she moves through the world, teaching her that resilience is practiced long before it is understood. Her mother’s presence shaped her most. Watching her work, struggle, pray, and persist taught Le’Ge real strength—the kind rooted in simply showing up and never giving up.