Zhoriél Tapo, a first grade student at Plantation Elementary School in Lafayette, La. has earned grand prize honors in a speech contest open to students nationwide and across Canada.

The Leader in Me program founded by Franklin Covey was developed in an effort to assist students in building leadership skills.

Franklin Covey opened the speech contest to all students ages 5-15 that are enrolled at licensed Leader in Me schools.

In Acadiana. there are a total of 29 elementary and middle schools totaling over 16,500 children who attend Leaders in Me schools.

Zhoriél was notified of her grand prize award on June 3, 2016 live via Skype at Plantation Elementary.

Zhoriel’s speech titled, “A Declaration of Leadership,” garnered a $500 leadership grant, as well as a featured post on The Leader in Me YouTube channel and The Leader in Me blog.