SEEN: Owl Club of Denver’s Debutante Cotillion
Lauren and Ryann Lewis are fraternal twins, but look so much alike that one would think they’re identical twins. And while they choose not to dress alike, they’re inseparable when it comes to interests and extra-curricular activities.
Especially basketball. The daughters of Ryan and Leslii Lewis lettered in varsity girls basketball at East High School, where they also earned top grades and were so good at hoops that they were accepted at Stanford University’s prestigious Elite Basketball Camp. They also made the U.S. Junior Nationals’ all-star team, and have signed to play at Texas Southern University.
“Going through this with my sister has made the (debutante) experience all the more special,” Lauren Lewis said. “It has brought us even closer.” Lauren plans to study molecular biology in college, with the goal of becoming a researcher; Ryann will study anatomy as the first step in becoming an obstetrician/ gynecologist.
The Lewis twins also were among the 19 young ladies presented at the Owl Club of Denver’s 67th Debutante Cotillion.
The black-tie presentation, dinner and dance was held at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast and was chaired by Gregory Anderson, whose goddaughter, Jaiden Paris, also was among those presented.
The daughter of Jan Paris and Kenneth Paris is a graduate of Cherokee Trail High School and is an Olympics hopeful who has won state and regional awards for track. She has earned a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State University, where she will study kinesiology and business.
Miss Black Teen Colorado 2017, Genesis Oats, also was a 2018 Owl Club deb. Earlier this year, the daughter of Leandra Steed and Tony Oats received the Youth Leadership Award from Denver chapter of the National Council of Negro Women and the Outstanding High School Student Achievement Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She graduated from Denver School of the Arts and will attend Colorado State University with the goal of becoming an attorney so that she can “Give voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless.”
Medical careers are in the future for several of the debutantes.
Bethany Boston, for example, a Mile High Scholar and graduate of Denver Center for International Studies at Montbello, will major in biology at Jackson State University before deciding whether to pursue a pre-med or pre-veterinary curriculum. Green Mountain High School grad Areione Hubbart will major in biology and mi- nor in chemistry at the University of Colorado Denver as the first step in becoming an orthodontist specializing in facial reconstructive surgery.
Gaubriella Miller, recipient of Mullen High’s coveted Torch Award, also is headed to Cu-denver as a pre-med major who hopes to become a general surgeon.
Julia Henderson, who was on East High’s 4.0 Honor Roll, was accepted at 11 colleges and selected Georgia State University, where she will pursue a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
Brezhané Walker, who earned three varsity letters in soccer at Cherry Creel High School and traveled with the team to Hawaii this summer, earned a fullride scholarship to Alabama A&M, where she will study biomedical engineering. Also off to Alabama A&M is Kierra Cox, who was on the Principal’s Honor Roll at Vista Peak Preparatory High School. Her goal is to become a physical therapist who “Helps young athletes overcome their injuries and make their dreams come true.”
East High grad Raven Williams will study medical assisting at Emily Griffith Technical College before enrolling in a fouryear college with the goal of becoming a pediatrician. Kylah Coleman was active in student government, athletics and the poms squad at East, where she was a regional scholastic award winner. She looks forward to a career in physical therapy after studying health and exercise at Xavier University.
Others in the debutante Class of 2018 were:
Aaliyah Ali, who had been student council treasurer and co-captain of East High’s cheer squad and will study broadcast journalism and film at Clark Atlanta University; Peyton Brewer, who was voted Youth of the Year by the Vickers branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver and will study business administration at the University of Northern Colorado; Jurnee Calhoun, who graduated from East High with a 3.5 grade point average and earned a fullride scholarship to Alcorn State University.
Sports careers are in store for Ta’nisha Gosha and Tracy Harris. Gosha was captain of the East High cheer squad and received four letters in tennis. She’ll study sports management at Colorado State University. Harris, a George Washington High School grad, set the Denver Public Schools’ record for most career strikeouts (556) in softball. She earned a softball scholarship to Prairie View A & M, and plans to become a pitching coach.
Jenesee Johnson was captain and Most Valuable Player of East’s varsity tennis team and won an academic scholarship to Arizona State University, where she will study Mandarin and international business after traveling to China this summer to study in Guilin.
And, Ramya Sinha, a competitive gymnast for 16 years and the 2017 4A state pole vault champion, was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the state gymnastics competition held last November in Thornton. She’ll study business administration at Chapman University.
Sinha said she enjoyed being a debutante because “It was so nice to be in a place where people looked like me and had the same values as me.”