Meet Layla
From Woodlawn
“The guidance from LOV mentors as a junior and senior related to college and scholarship applications is something I will always praise the program for. I don’t think I would have been able to navigate the process as well without the help I got from Ms. Francine and especially Ms. Thee. The time spent with them working on interview skills and essays helped me thrive in the competitive atmosphere.”
Layla currently attends the University of Mississippi. There, she is majoring in Public Policy Leadership at the Trent Lott Institute of Public Policy. She is also a Stamps Scholar, receiving a full ride scholarship.
Layla expressed that yearly leadership projects with LOV helped her discover a passion for politics in order to make change in her community. In her first semester as Public Policy Leadership major, in which she made the Dean’s Honor Roll, she wrote her first public policy proposal. She has done work around issues including gender-race bias in the workplace and financial literacy in minority communities. Her practice in defining problems, drafting solutions, and publicly discussing issues gave her the confidence to tackle modern voter suppression. Because of her confidence, abilities, and knowledge of the issue, she was able to articulate her arguments and have the bill passed in the classroom Congress.
Layla also received two other full-ride options to Ohio State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. With the help of LOV, she received acceptance to all ten colleges and universities she applied to.