Stovall passionately serves her community

Choctaw tribal member Shelby Stovall of Buffalo, Oklahoma, is the daughter of TJ and Amanda Stovall. She graduated from Battiest High and is currently a freshman at Murray State College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, working towards becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Stovall has always had a passion for serving others and her community. She attributes her success and love for community service to Choctaw Nation’s Youth Advisory Board. However, her devotion to community service is not the only thing that sets her apart from her peers.

Stovall faced obstacles during her time with YAB that ultimately forced her to make the difficult decision to step away from the organization during her senior year of high school. She was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). This disorder causes her to have nonepileptic, uncontrolled seizures.

Her medical diagnosis makes serving her community challenging, as she cannot drive herself. She must rely on family and friends to get her to and from events and assist with collecting the supplies needed to complete her projects. Nevertheless, she did not let this diagnosis prevent her from doing what she loves.

“It is very hard to do community service, but every chance I get, I try to raise money or find a way to make a difference in my community,” she said.

Stovall joined YAB at the end of her eighth-grade year and was a member for four years. She completed 900 hours of community service during her time with the organization. She organized various events and fundraisers to raise money for her community.

One of Stovall’s most notable events is the Annual Christmas Project. Instead of asking for Christmas presents, she asks for donations to buy gifts for families in need. She then delivers the presents during the holidays. Stovall has completed this project for four years, with last year being her most significant, raising nearly $4,000.

Stovall poses for a photo with containers filled with gifts for patients at the Oklahoma Children's Hospital. These gifts were donated through Stovall's Christmas Project.

Though Stovall has graduated high school and is no longer affiliated with YAB, she still uses the tools she learned throughout her time with the organization in her day-to-day life.

“I try to represent YAB every day now,” Stoval said.

She is currently working with Battiest Elementary School to start the Kindness Project, focusing on spreading positivity and happiness among the students. Stovall plans to paint rocks with various uplifting quotes to distribute across the playground. Students can then take photos with the rocks or pass them along to friends.

When asked what draws her to community service, Stovall said, “I love to help people. I try to make a difference in one’s life. Not only does it help them, but it makes me feel better too.”

Stovall encourages students to join Choctaw Nation’s Youth Advisory Board.

“Give it a try. YAB completely changed my life, and I know it can change yours too. The little things, going to the meetings, the community service projects can really affect your social life in general,” said Stovall. “YAB is the best decision I have ever made in my life. It completely turned my life around. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it, and give full credit to YAB.”

Stovall says she will continue carrying out her passion for serving her community and dreams of increasing the number of individuals involved in her projects.

According to www.choctawnation.com, The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) empowers youth to become leaders with a servant attitude toward others. This program utilizes a leadership curriculum to develop students’ potential through creative thinking, presentation, planning and team building to foster success as tomorrow’s leaders. Students are inspired to use their service leadership skills through community service projects to promote positive change within their communities.

For additional information about joining YAB, please visit choctawnation.com/services/yab.