Lauryn Gil, 16, who celebrated her 4th leap year birthday this year, is a rising junior at Friendswood High in Friendswood, Texas.

Lauryn is involved in her community and church. She is a photographer for her church and her high school paper, The Lariat. She also does freelance photography for Reporter News, a publication based in Friendswood.

A storyteller at heart, Lauryn said she has always been a strong writer and has a unique talent for discovering information and conducting research. She earned a gold medal in UIL Ready Writing and 4th place in district for features. She is president of the Literary Criticism team, the Book Club, The UIL Journalism team and the Ready Writing Club.

She writes personal essays during her free time to build her portfolio for colleges and exercising her writing skills. She plays a lot of video games such as Fortnite and FIFA, as well as playing soccer.

“I’m gonna earn a Pulitzer, a Nobel Peace Prize and an Emmy,” she said. Her favorite show is “Gossip Girl.”