In high school, Ivory Gipson maintained a near-perfect GPA and was a three-sport varsity athlete, band member, fellow in the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC), vice president of the Goal Society, and held down a part-time job. “I did every sport and every club that was there in my time at Northeast,” he says.
The recent graduate was named one of six 2021 Louisiana Young Heroes by Louisiana Public Broadcasting. The program celebrates achievements of inspiring students who make their communities better places. Ivory found out he was named a Young Hero while on a college visit with Lucas Spielfogel, Ivory’s mentor in BRYC and the organization’s executive director, who nominated him.
Ivory, 18, credits his mom, Latasha Gipson, for his success. “My mom is my superhero without a cape,” he says. “She’ll take her last $20 out of her wallet so I can do something.”
Latasha also taught Ivory to be a caregiver, as he has helped her care for his four-year-old niece Unica Mitchell, which he calls his proudest accomplishment. “I think I’m her favorite person. She’s kind of got me wrapped around her finger.”
The next step for Ivory is a full-ride to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Ivory knew it was the right school for him when he visited with Spielfogel. “I could feel myself being there,” Ivory shares.
As a Young Hero, caregiver, excellent student and star athlete, Ivory is certainly one amazing kid.
