SPECIAL FEATURE

GIRL POWER

Local adolescents are following their passions and making an impact

BY VALERIE HARDY

THANKS TO 1126 ENTERTAINMENT, BRILEY ENTERTAINS THE CROWS AT WASABI IN DOWNTOWN DOWNERS GROVE. PHOTO BY CAROLINA MENAPACE

If you are on any form of social media, you likely know of – and may even have celebrated – a national or international “holiday” such as Siblings Day, Bring Your Child to Work Day, Taco Day, or even Clean Out Your Fridge Day. However, one that may not receive as much attention as it deserves is the International Day of the Girl Child. Held annually on Oct. 11, this day aims to amplify the voices of young women across the world and celebrate the differences they are making in society. Such young women are always worth recognizing though, including these three from our community.

Striking a Chord

Briley Steffes, 12, Downers Grove

Briley Steffes quite literally uses her voice within the community. Steffes – whose stage name is just “Briley” – has been bringing both cover songs (some crowd favorites include Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and Maren Morris’s “My Church”) and original songs (like “Lost and Found,” which is about how her pet cat came to join their family) to audiences throughout Downers Grove. She has taken the stage at Rotary GroveFest, Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, and Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant on both St. Patrick’s Day and during open mic nights. Briley has also performed at various block parties and other private events, all free of charge. However, she is open to receiving tips as she is trying to save up to attend another singer-songwriter program at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan (she attended Interlochen this past summer and is eager to continue learning and growing in her craft).

Briley began singing in choirs before she could read, but a choir was not required for her to be singing. In second grade, her teacher asked her to bring gum to class as a way of quieting her because she was always humming, whistling, or singing. Another time, Briley said she accepted “a dare to sing ‘Oh Danny Boy’” at a family member’s wake. “There was an old lady there from another funeral that asked if I could perform for their wake too,” Briley added. So, she went in and sang in front of a room full of strangers.

Briley said she does not get nervous performing in front of crowds. This onstage comfort came in handy when she encountered last year’s “America’s Got Talent” runner-up Austin Edwards (Broken Roots) while in Michigan with family. Edwards invited her to sing a duet of the song “Shallow” with him in front of a few hundred people at a backyard party (and another time soon after at The Fremont Bar & Grill in Westmont).

Briley said the reason she does not get nervous is that she practices… a lot. After performing at GroveFest, her father told her to take the day off; it

BRILEY AND HER MOM, TARA STEFFES, ARE MASTERING GUITAR-PLAYING TOGETHER.

Continued from the previous page

was probably the first day she had not practiced in six months, he said.

Briley, who proves that big voices can come in small packages, also recently added guitar to her repertoire. When the world slowed down due to the coronavirus pandemic, her mother taught herself how to play guitar so she could turn around and teach Briley. While Briley does not see herself teaching music to others, she said she definitely sees a future that involves performing, “maybe with a band behind me. That would be really fun.” For more information about Briley and where she is playing next, visit brileymusic.com.

Definitely Driven

Gina Liu, 16, Downers Grove

When Gina Liu got her driver’s permit last Nov. and began to log her hours behind the wheel as mandated by the state, she found the process of manually timing her drives, noting whether they occurred during the daytime or nighttime, and documenting the weather conditions for each trip to be cumbersome. Liu felt that there had to be an easier way, and so – together with her father – she created one: the Road Buddy app.

Liu’s dad, who taught himself – and to a lesser extent Liu – computer programming, created the backend components of the app while Liu “designed the layout of the app, the visual aspect of it,” she said. This was right within Liu’s wheelhouse; she has her own design business through which she helps clients with branding. Liu served as the primary tester for the Road Buddy app, a natural fit since it is intended for teen drivers. She also markets the app. “I go around to my friends and talk to the drivers’ ed. Teachers at [Downers Grove North High School] and in the District also,” Liu said. Additionally, she has been in contact with Top Driver, a local private driving school, to allow more driving students to benefit from the app.

Road Buddy, which is available free of charge on the App Store and Google Play, is used by new drivers throughout the country. Liu said Washington, D.C. currently has the most users and noted that the app gets international use as well - in locations such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

In addition to providing a userfriendly way for student drivers to log their behind-the-wheel hours, Liu said, “We also want to promote driver safety, so we want to put some safety tips in the front of the app.”

The father/daughter team is working on the next version of the Road Buddy app, which will include various “driving challenges or missions,” Liu said. For now, one of Liu’s main missions is simply to enjoy driving around with friends, transporting herself to tennis, and taking her younger sister to her activities – all as an officially licensed driver (who is no longer required to document her time on the road).

GINA LIU BY CAR

Changing the World is in Her Nature

Sita Mylavarapu, 14, Oak Brook

Sita Mylavarapu knows exactly how her love of National Parks first sparked. When she was about 6 years old, her family made an unexpected stop at Mammoth Cave National

Park (Kentucky) while on a road trip.

Mylavarapu cherished being in nature and having time to bond with family. Fast forward to today. Mylavarapu has more than doubled in age, taken nearly 20 National Park trips, and hiked over 600 miles of trails. The terrain, altitude, and strenuousness of the hikes vary, but a constant is her desire to spend as much time in nature and away from her devices as possible. “We have become slaves to technology, but the best things in life are truly free: air, water, sunlight, soil. That’s the element I realized I want

SITA MYLAVARAPU ENJOYS THE MAJESTY OF NATURE ON A HIKE AT OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK IN WASHINGTON IN AUGUST.

SITA MYLAVARAPU SHOWS OFF THE BADGES SHE HAS ACCRUED FROM HER NUMEROUS NATIONAL PARK VISITS.

to live my life in,” she said.

There have been some grueling moments, but Mylavarapu would not change a thing. She recalled hiking Yosemite National Park when she was 11 years old – starting at 5 a.m. and not finishing until 1 a.m. There had not been time or a good place to stop to use the restroom. She said, “I ended up peeing in my pants with a few hours left to go.” Though uncomfortable, Mylavarapu said this incident and many others from her hikes have taught her to persevere. “I realized to what lengths I’m willing to go for nature,” she said.

The nature-loving teen is willing to go to great lengths to protect nature. She has committed to bringing nature awareness to others, especially millennials. What started as a personal blog to share her travels with family and friends has grown into a platform through which to share the 60-second environmental education videos she creates and produces. She said she works with various schools and non-profit organizations across the nation to raise awareness regarding the “little things we can do in our daily lives to help nature.” Followed and supported by National Park Services, various nature conservationists, and renowned National Geographic photographers, Mylavarapu’s efforts are gaining momentum.

“We don’t have to save the earth,” Mylavarapu said. “We just have to stop spoiling it.” What Mylavarapu does not want to stop is her nature-centered travel. Up next for her? Everest Base Camp this spring and Kilimanjaro this summer.

To keep apprised of Mylavarapu’s outdoor adventures and recommendations for protecting the environment, follow her on Instagram (@chalkbagsntents). ■