Laila Saunders

Laila Saunders – Iowa
Nomination & Photography by Kimberly Bishop
Issue 72 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
​

Nomination: Laila was a joy to photograph. She has an amazing personality, bubbly, sweet, fun and just confident. Laila asked to have a unique senior session filled with mud, sparklers, water and of course Laila’s spunky personality.
​

Photography by Kimberly Bishop

​How did you find your photographer, Kimberly Bishop? What was your experience like? What did you love most about it?
My wonderful photographer has been in my family for a long time. From my brothers and sisters to me. I enjoy the experiences we have during our sessions from her going in the water with me to the laughter we share in between shots. I loved how it was genuine love. She would hype me up and make me feel confident within myself.

What else would you like to talk about?
I would just like to thank my wonderful photographer for believing in me. And the magazine for giving me a chance to be featured. As a teen, I have kind of adopted this attitude that I am going to be me, regardless of what everyone around me is doing and I feel like this session captured the essence of that.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
I am also very involved in the school and our community. I show leadership and am inclusive in everything I do. My goal in life is to change the world step by step. I am the Vice President of the state Career Association for Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates, as well as the Chair of Inclusivity on my high school’s Exec. Team.

What are you most excited about for your senior year?
I am most excited to get our equity club started. This is a group that offers a safe place in school for students to talk about issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and more. I worked hard with some classmates last year to get it launched, including 3rd place national recognition for the project by Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), and this year we are starting it up locally. So, I'm excited to see the impact it will make at our school.

What is the most interesting thing you've learned so far?
The most important thing I learned was that in order to get what you want you must put in more work than your peers. Success isn't given, it's earned and it's not easy, but it is worth it. I have had to go out of my comfort zone to learn and grow, and when most kids my age are trying to fit in, this isn’t always an easy thing to do. I am more focused on personal growth, development, and helping other people see the important things in life, like loving each other, supporting each other, and learning about each other to create a healthy society than I am about some things my peers tend to focus on. It’s honestly been a blast being a leader and I’ve learned that paving your own way is absolutely the way to go.

Photography by Kimberly Bishop

​What will you miss most about high school?
I will miss the bond and connections I made with the underclassmen. This year I made it my goal to be the person the freshman cheerleaders can look up to. Realizing I won't be there to see them grow and spread their wings makes me sad.

What advice do you have for underclassmen?
My advice is to take each day step by step. High School gets crazy and overwhelming at times and it’s ok to take a step back and breathe. Also, I’d like underclassmen to know that not everyone isnt your friend and that's ok. Your energy is better spent on people that share the same goals and values but that doesn’t mean you can’t be nice to everyone. Kindness goes a long way, but drama keeps you stuck. Because we don’t know what people go through behind closed doors, it’s better just to show kindness. The last thing is to know your worth and use your voice to speak up about things you care about. One of the ways I plan to change the world is to create spaces for youth to speak up. Sometimes it takes empowerment and I want to empower not only underclassmen but all young people.

What is your leadership style?
I believe every situation is made for a different type of leadership but the style that suits me the best is transformational. Transformational focuses on the future, change and people. If something isn’t working well, or if new ideas are needed, my leadership style says “let’s get to work on that.” I don’t think the way things have always been done needs to be the way they continue to be done, and so I’m ready to use all the years I have ahead of me to make both big and small changes in all the spaces I enter.

What leadership style do you admire most in others?
I admire participative leadership style because it's hard for some people to listen to other options especially when they disagree and still involve them in the decision-making processes. Leadership can’t happen alone, so I admire when leaders involve people will all different roles and opinions.

What are your roles and responsibilities as VP of the state Career Association for Iowa Jobs for America's Graduates?
My responsibility is to be the voice of all the students in iJAG. Organizations that help kids are still run by adults, so I get to bring the student perspective to the people in charge. I'm also responsible to speak on behalf of the students of IJAG when it comes to talking to businesses, senators, mayors and legislators, and CEOs. It’s important that adults hear our stories loud and clear because we’re going to be their constituents and employees.

Photography by Kimberly Bishop

​What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
I could talk about equity and equality forever. Even though its 2023, sometimes people aren’t willing to have open and honest conversations about these topics and I really believe that they are necessary. I was part of a L.O.V.E project (Lifting Our Voices for Equity) for iJAG (Iowa Jobs for Americas Graduates) at school. The project gave me the opportunity to compete at a state and national level. We competed in Florida and placed 3rd in nationals with the L.O.V.E project. This project happened because I was part of a group who recognized a problem that wasn’t being addressed, and we worked really hard to ensure that students in schools have ways to speak up when they need to.

What does the Inclusivity on the Hempstead Group do and why do you love being in this group?
We make sure every event is equitable for everyone at our school no matter your situation. Sometimes, students can’t attend games or dances because they don’t have transportation or resources and that’s one of the ways I want to change the world. I love being a part of this group because it gives me a chance to help others.

What do you do as a Chair on the Exec Team?
I’m chair of inclusivity and I overview all events making sure it is suitable for every student at Hempstead. For example, we had a school parade, so we provided trolleys for those who wanted to come but didn’t have transportation.

What has been your favorite accomplishment participating in this group?
My favorite accomplishment so far in exec was the outcome of homecoming. We made it enjoyable for everyone and had a great outcome. Lots of people stayed later than they usually would, and it was just wonderful to see everyone bond at our school throughout the week. Feeling connected to people and places, like school, is really important for young people to be healthy and successful and having an inclusive homecoming was really powerful.

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
You probably wouldn’t find me, but I would be driving around listening to music. If I wasn’t driving around, I’d probably be at the park or going on an adventure with my nieces and nephews. Spending time with them and being a good example to them is really important to me.

Photography by Kimberly Bishop

​What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
I'm really excited about a trip I am taking in November. I'm going to Washington D.C. for the second time with my fellow iJAG officers. I get to spend the whole week there and during my trip I get to go on tours and talk to legislators.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be where you are today?
My advice would be to take all the opportunities given to you no matter how impossible they seem. Because one of them could change your life forever. Also go into everyday with a positive attitude and a successful mindset.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
In 5 years, I will be fresh out of college, I plan to be working at my dream job. It's hard to say what exactly it is now because I am still looking for the perfect job for me. But I plan to either have a home or save up for a house in South Carolina.

What is your favorite activity or pastime that was not in your nomination?
My favorite activity out of school would be fishing. I love to sit back with a pole in the water as I start small talk with my friends as we wait for a bite.

3 Things on your bucket list
The first thing on my bucket list would be to travel the world. That’s the one thing I won’t be able to cross off because it’s a lifetime thing I want to do. The next thing would be building my own house, and the third thing would be skydiving.

Who do you find inspiring?
I find Steve Harvey inspiring because I learned a lot from him. I listen to his motivational videos every day and he really motivates me on the days I feel like giving up.

What about you inspires others/why do you think you are inspiring?
My ambition and passion when it comes to things I care about and want to achieve makes me a good role model. This last year I have had people of all ages come up to me and say they aspire to be like me.

Look for Laila in issue 72 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!

click here for more information in issue 72

click here to nominate an inspiring teen