BATON ROUGE - A senior from Scotlandville High School was selected to represent the school in a national youth empowerment organization.

Scotlandville Senior Miracle Poche is a member of the high school's Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club, and was chosen by CADCA to represent the state to share her plans to make a difference in her community.

"I lost my friend, he was 15 years old, due to gun violence. He was trying to stop a fight, and I guess the boyfriend of the female he was helping shot him in the back of the head. That was very devasting for me," Poche said.

Poche knows firsthand how harmful gun violence can be not only to the people directly affected but also to those who know them. 

"When you are in school and you hear we are on lockdown, most people don't take it seriously. Most people look at it like it breaks, like we don't have to do work. But we need to take gun violence very seriously," Poche said.

Poche was one of ten students picked to represent CADCA, an organization that empowers the younger generation to shape the future and cause positive changes. She’ll travel around the country and was the only representative picked from our state. Her teacher and club organizer Ladonna Washington says it is a big deal that a student from Scotlandville was selected.

"Louisiana is representing the United States and is that a very big deal, it could have been anybody and it’s Miracle Poche here at Scotlandville," Washington said.

Poche’s passion project is curbing gun violence and she hopes to take what she learns and bring it back to Scotlandville high.

"Starting today I want to start an afterschool program that occupies the youth's mind," Poche said.

Ultimately, Poche wants to become a social worker and an anti-gun violence activist in the community. The East Baton Rouge School Board plans to honor Poche at their next meeting.