The Women’s Symposium

ARTICLES BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE
AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Helaina Desentz

Helaina Desentz describes herself as Cajun and Creole. Raised on the West Bank of New Orleans, Helaina and her family moved to New Iberia, Louisiana, post-Katrina. Though the youngest of 7 children, Helaina exudes eldest-child energy; her mom even nicknamed her Pitbull. At New Iberia Senior High, Helaina stayed in sports 24/7 – everything from volleyball, softball, and spirit groups to travel teams over the summer. When it came time for college, Helaina wanted a new place; she felt there were other people she needed to know. ULM felt like an easy place to attend school; she liked the size and emphasis on the outdoors. 

Though initially interested in Atmospheric Science, Helaina spent her evenings researching careers in health psychology. She earned a bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Health Studies, followed by a master’s in Public Administration. In a Healthcare Issues course, Helaina approached Tammy Morgan from the Louisiana Department of Health, who was there to discuss emergency preparedness, and inquired about an internship. Because of her personal experience with Katrina, Tammy’s lecture resonated. As first an unpaid intern and then a student worker, Helaina helped with the Emergency Preparedness Program. She was handling outreach on the Zika virus when the pandemic hit. She worked full time managing contract tracing. 

After graduation, Helaina moved into Regional Surveillance Epidemiology and is now over 12 parishes in northeast Louisiana. Helaina works to identify disease outbreaks and provide recommendations for reducing spread and prevention in the future. Understanding what’s normal for the region and when intervention needs to occur is critical to her job. She takes pride in reducing the economic and health burdens of northeast Louisiana citizens and improving overall health outcomes. 

Her sports roots run deep, so Helaina volunteers as a coach with the LA Tech Men’s Volleyball Club. Helaina brings knowledge of the defensive side of the game and guides players toward more constructive attitudes to support their growth. From her time on the court, Helaina believes organized sports teach people about the real world, and she likes helping others achieve their potential. 

Coming from a big, hard-working, and passionate family, Helaina brings that energy and motivation to all she does for the community. Helaina Desentz will be speaking more about her journey at the 2025 Women’s Symposium on Tuesday, March 11th, on the panel entitled, “Women in Social Sciences.”

Stacey Majure

Growing up in West Monroe, physical activity was a big part of Stacey Majure’s life. While a member of the cheerleading squad and soccer team at West Monroe High School, Stacey also ran track and even joined the swim team. If the school needed a participant for girls’ sports, Stacey stepped up. Stacey went on to attend LSU, where she considered interior design, but ultimately decided to pursue a career in healthcare. Quite randomly but perhaps fated, Stacey took a job at an outpatient physical therapy (“PT”) clinic in Baton Rouge. The doctors used a manual therapy approach, with less exercises and more hands-on techniques. They focused on mobilizing tissue and joints to get the body moving again. Prior to her own post-injury therapy, Stacey always assumed physical therapy meant simply performing exercises, and working at this clinic expanded her understanding of the power of PT. She developed a passion, and it became clear to her this hands-on practice would be her life’s work. After graduation, Stacey took a gap year, moved to New Orleans, and planned to attend PT school in the city; then Hurricane Katrina happened. 

Instead, Stacey attended PT school at the University of St. Augustine, whose founder also emphasized a hands-on approach to therapy (a fortunate coincidence). Stacey obtained her manual therapy certification while in school and then returned to Monroe, eventually joining Affinity Health Group focused on women’s health before opening her own clinic, MPower Physio & Wellness, in 2024. Stacey specializes in pelvic health, a niche she started after her son was born. In pelvic therapy, Stacey works on more than just the internal pelvic floor muscles, as the pelvic floor is part of the core, and everything in the body influences the core. Stacey observes how the whole body moves and functions. Her patients typically seek treatment after changes to the pelvic floor during pregnancy, delivery, and menopause. Stacey’s mission through MPower is to empower women by providing awareness, education, and treatment throughout a woman’s life.

Though a business owner, Stacey considers herself healthcare-minded. Luckily, her husband John obtained his MBA from ULM and is always there to provide support. The couple dated throughout Stacey’s tenure at St. Augustine and married in 2009. They have three children: John Wallace (11), Anders (9), and Merritt (5). Aside from raising a family and seeing patients, Stacey is an adjunct instructor at ULM where she teaches a Clinical Skills course to first year physical therapy students. While focusing on basic skills, the interactive lab is an energetic environment. Stacey loves interacting with students, seeing their budding passion for healthcare and helping others. Stacey will be speaking more about her journey in women’s health at the 2025 Women’s Symposium on Tuesday, March 11th, on the panel entitled, “Women in Physical Health & Therapy.”

Dr. Lawrencia Jenkins

Dr. Lawrencia Jenkins, a proud Monroe, Louisiana native, is a Wossman High School alumna and a three-time graduate of the University of Louisiana Monroe. From an early age, Lawrencia’s parents stressed the value in education. Her parents nurtured her growth, instilling self-confidence and a sense of fulfillment. Along with her older brother Lawrence, Lawrencia understood she could achieve anything that she set her mind to. Guided by Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and inspired by her mother, Rose Jenkins, Lawrencia embraced the belief that greatness was within her reach. 

At 16, Lawrencia knew she wanted a career that involved helping others. Whether it be mental or physical health, she desired to serve the community. Shortly before graduation, Lawrencia’s mother took her to meet the faculty and staff in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program (MFT) at ULM. She secured a job as a student worker and majored in Psychology, intent on understanding the human mind. She went on to earn her master’s and doctorate from ULM in Marriage and Family Therapy. During her doctoral journey, she was awarded a fellowship with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), conducting research on minority populations and advocating for mental health policies in Washington, DC and other cities. As a graduate assistant, Lawrencia saw the inner workings of the MFT clinic on ULM’s campus and secured internships with the WellSpring and the Center for Children and Families, experiences which validated her career choice. 

Lawrencia currently works as a clinician at Finding Solace, specializing in trauma-informed care, perinatal mental health, military families, and relationship conflict. She utilizes narrative therapy and solution-based approaches in her practice. Narrative therapy empowers individuals to re-author their personal stories by separating them from problem-saturated narratives and highlighting strengths, values, and alternative perspectives. Solution-focused therapy helps clients to identify strengths amidst times of chaos, focusing on existing solutions as opposed to problems. Lawrencia helps clients release, restructure, and recreate the narrative they envision    for their lives. In addition to her work at Finding Solace, Lawrencia is an adjunct instructor at Abilene Christian University and at Kairos Pacific University.

Lawrencia will be speaking more about her journey at the 2025 Women’s Symposium on Tuesday, March 11th, on the panel entitled, “Women in Mental Health & Therapy.” 

Alex Noel

Growing up in South Louisiana, Alex Noel’s familial pride reflected the Cajun culture, an immersion of French-influenced language and art. Her grandparents mostly spoke Cajun French, and Alex attended an immersion school for French, art, and technology. As the oldest of 3, Alex served as a second parental figure due to her dad’s disability and the split of her parents. In high school, Alex pursued a leadership role in every organization – captain of JROTC and Color Guard, and junior class president. At ULM, Alex was again Color Guard captain, president of the band, and secretary, twice, of the American Meteorological Society before transferring to Mississippi State. During her education, Alex held an internship with KTVE-KARD studio, where she is currently employed as an evening meteorologist.  

Watching the news at her grandparents’ home, Alex was fascinated by the meteorologists on TV. Teachers consistently asked Alex to stop staring out the window. She experienced the meteorology paradox – loving the weather and its power but afraid of what it does to people. Alex claims every meteorologist has the one event that calls attention to weather; for Alex, it came at the age of 7 with Hurricane Gustav. Her parents took the family on a “Hurrication,” a vacation you’re forced to take due to evacuation orders. Alex remembers being angry she didn’t get to see the hurricane firsthand. 

Now as an evening meteorologist at KARD-KTVE, Alex compares models, makes judgments, and issues forecasts. She admits it can be difficult for women in STEM fields, particularly meteorology. The field is stigmatized due to weather’s variability and meteorologists’ predictions being at the mercy of last-minute weather changes. Alex is one of few women in the industry; recent studies show only 29% of meteorologists are women, and only 8% are chief meteorologists. She struggles with being taken seriously since the bar for women is higher and the criticism is often harsh and surface-level. 

Alex created Future Forecasters for children 18 and under to discuss weather safety and what it’s like to be a meteorologist. She tells the Future Forecasters, “Be prepared and not scared; know your safe places in the event of severe weather.” Children submit weather art or essays about memorable weather experiences. Top performers come to the KTVE-KARD studio and work with meteorologists for an afternoon. 

Alex met her husband Garrett LeBlanc, a computer scientist, in high school; the couple has been together ever since. Alex Noel will be speaking more about her journey at the 2025 Women’s Symposium on Tuesday, March 11th, on the panel entitled, “Women in STEM.”

Gaundi Hays

For Gaundhi Hays, education is not only a calling, but a responsibility, as the educators in her life encouraged self-confidence and self-determination. After losing her mother at the age of six, Gaundhi was adopted by her grandparents; her aunts and uncles became brothers and sisters. Gaundhi was a responsible child, always caring for her younger siblings. When she tested as gifted and talented in 3rd grade and transferred to a new school, Gaundhi leaned into new challenges, focusing her energy on academics and music. She played the viola and the piano, joined the Junior Youth Symphony, and later the Monroe Youth Symphony. These experiences took Gaundhi from Bastrop to Monroe, introducing her to new people and cementing social skills that would impact her life’s trajectory. 

Gaundhi earned an academic and orchestra scholarship to Grambling State University. She thrived in the HBCU environment, winning the title of Miss Sensation Lady, the institution’s first plus-size pageant. She won Miss Plus Louisiana and placed 1st runner up in Miss Plus USA. Aside from serving as the president of the Black Dynasty Modeling Troupe, Gaundhi held a work-study position in the Public Relations office and earned a bachelor’s in elementary education. 

For the last 24 years, Gaundhi has taught at New Vision Learning Academy in Monroe, currently teaching 5th and 6th grade history and math. She possesses a strong rapport with older primary school students, understanding that effective teaching means connecting individually with students. Gaundhi educates the whole child, providing lessons in etiquette, life skills, and social skills. She tells her students, “Once you receive an education, no one can take it away from you.” She finds personal and professional fulfillment in helping others, especially children. 

Along with serving as Executive Director of Miss Monroe, a preliminary pageant to Miss Louisiana, Gaundhi is a former graduate advisor for the Theta Zeta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is a member and officer of the Zeta Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which she joined in 2004. She founded G.O.L.D. (Girls Only Leadership Development) Night and B.O.L.D Night at New Vision Learning Academy, which hosts etiquette and empowerment workshops; started the Radiant Rose Pageant for young girls; and is a member of the Monroe Junior League. Gaundhi is most proud of her work as Mom to son Thai, now 21. Gaundhi Hays will be speaking more about her journey at the 2025 Women’s Symposium on Tuesday, March 11th, on the panel entitled, “Women in Education.”