Taylor Rae Cayou is February Soroptimist student

La Conner Soroptimist honored student for February Taylor Rae Cayou has demonstrated an aptitude for leadership in several significant ways.

As a member of Peer to Peer at La Conner High School, Taylor and 8-10 other students work on addressing important issues affecting the high school population. During suicide prevention month, they presented a lunchtime slide show explaining how to talk about suicide. They also are creating a movie, "Most Teens Don't Vape."

As a school board student representative, Taylor prepares and presents a monthly report. She recently worked on the details and implementation of a new cell phone policy, "No Phones Out During Class." She is also a student representative on the Native American Parent Advisory Council, which has addressed complicated issues such as bullying, attendance and race.

Taylor further demonstrated her leadership skills as moderator for the Swinomish senate candidates' forum. She was the meeting facilitator and invited to ask questions of the candidates.

Taylor is committed to practicing mindful meditation daily and presented a mindfulness program to the high school staff at the beginning of the school year.

Taylor enjoys playing first base on the LCHS softball team and playing on the volleyball team. In her free time she likes to go crabbing and salmon fishing with her dad. Taylor also worked on the development of the clam garden on Kiket Island, the first modern clam garden in the United States.

A lifelong La Conner resident, Taylor is the daughter of Kim George and Louis Cayou. She has an older sister, Olivia, and a nephew, Kayson. She is attending running start at Northwest Indian College and would like to go on to university and study law or marine biology.

Taylor will receive a gift certificate to Vintage Thrift, the thrift and consignment shop run by volunteers to support women and girls in the community and enabled by the generous donations from the community.