Meet Shyann
Child of an Active Duty Navy Service Member
Grade: 6 | Age: 12 | Number of Schools Attended: 5
Sofia is the military kid designer of this year's Month of the Military Child Logo design:
Sofia has been with Kids Rank for two years and is currently a member of the 3-5 Forrestal Pride with Leader Lauren Grove. She's a 5th grader at Learn 6 Charter School in North Chicago, IL. Her parents are Mario (father, US Navy) and MJ (mother). She has a younger sister, Caissa, who also joined Kids Rank this year with the K-2 Forrestal Pride. Sofia's winning design was announced at Pups N' Paint, the opening MoMC event, on April 1st, 2023!
Give a tax exempt gift to Kids Rank through the end of the year and as part of that donation to CONNECT - LEAD - SERVE you will receive special gifts featuring Sofia's design!
YOUR GIFT SUPPORTS MILITARY KIDS
Kids Rank is a 501c(3) service-based organization developed specifically for military children. Your tax exempt donation will help support programming that empowers military children through connection, leadership, and service.
As a way to say thank you for your contribution, donations of $30 and more will receive a limited edition Kids Rank 2021 holiday gift!
$30 donations will receive a custom Kids Rank holiday ornament!
$50 donations will receive a custom Kids Rank holiday ornament, a Sweets by Kids cookie, and a uniquely curated 12oz bag of Kids Rank blend coffee from Veterans Roasters!
$100 donations will receive all of the above mentioned and a limited-edition Kids Rank campfire mug to help you enjoy all of your goodies!
Pride Member Spotlight: Shyann's Story
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Shyann is a twelve-year-old military child who lives near the Naval Station Great Lakes Command in Illinois. Her father is currently working as a Recruit Division Commander aboard the Navy's only boot camp. Shyann is the middle child of three children and has an older sister and a younger brother. Together, Shyann and her family have weathered seven military deployments throughout her father's naval career, with each lasting anywhere from seven to twelve months. Each deployment was faced without the added support of family nearby.
Like most military families, Shyann and her family have PCSed (moved) multiple times during her life. Due to their location changes, Shyann has attended five different schools across the country, even though she is only in the sixth grade. The constant moves and changes to her life have been understandably difficult for Shyann, as they are for many military children. For a time, the challenges of military life led her to experience feelings of intense nervousness, shyness, and an inability to advocate for herself.
Fortunately, since moving to Illinois in early 2019, Shyann has been supported by several wonderful individuals at her school and in her community. Part of that support, a large part, stems from her membership within the Kids Rank organization. Shyann originally joined Kids Rank soon after moving to Illinois to attend a summer camp program. From that experience she gained new friends and multiple opportunities to help others. Shyann went on to participate in the Kids Rank Pride meetings at her school as well as the 2020 and 2021 summer camps.
The love of her family and her time with Kids Rank coupled with the amazingly supportive community of teachers at her school have given her a newfound confidence to discover her strengths as an individual. In a sense, she has found her voice and uses it to seek out others who need any assistance she can offer.
Shyann was honored at the end of the 2020-21 school year by the local chamber of commerce as one of twenty-five students within the school district to receive an award of excellence for her achievements in and out of the classroom. During the award ceremony, her principal named Shyann as possibly the most kind and caring person he has ever met. She has continued to excel academically and recently joined her school's student council and basketball team! She is a shining example of a resilient military child who can move mountains when supported by people who genuinely care about her.