Joyner To Join Youth LEAD Georgia Cohort

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Toombs County Native Jeremiah Joyner is one of thirty students that have been selected to participate in the third cohort of Youth LEAD Georgia, which is facilitated by the University of Georgia J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development in partnership with Chick-Fil-A.

Youth LEAD Georgia equips youth throughout the state with continued from page

the skills and knowledge necessary to help Georgia thrive even amidst challenges. The program – which is funded by a $1.5 million pledge from Chick-Fil_A to the University of Georgia Fanning Institute – enables sophomores and juniors to further develop themselves as the state’s future leaders at no cost to the students.

This year’s class includes representatives from 27 different counties, but only Joyner was selected to represent the local area. Class members were selected by an external selection committee from a record pool of nominations, which reflects the growing interest and competitiveness in the program. The class is also composed of students from both rural and urban communities, allowing the participants to showcase their unique strengths and experiences while also learning from those with a different perspective of the state.

“As we launch our third year of Youth LEAD Georgia, the excitement and interest continue to grow,” emphasized Fanning Institute Senior Public Service Faculty Member Lauren Healey. “This year’s applicants made for an incredibly competitive selection process, and we are thrilled to welcome such a talented, impressive group of students who represent the future leaders of our state.”

Participants will take part in four weekend retreats held throughout the year in different regions of the state and a week-long summer bus tour visiting areas not covered in the retreats. They also will serve as leaders in a two-day statewide youth summit in Athens.

After the program is over, students will have the chance to utilize the knowledge and skills gained throughout the cohort to help improve their community. To help accomplish these improvements, participants can apply for Bullard Community Champion grants, which help fund community service projects throughout the state.

In addition to Joyner, other members of the class are Grayson Bellwin (Monroe County); Mc-Ferrin Bibb (Washington County); Ridhi Boggaravapu (Fulton County); Wren Booker (Floyd County); Yasmin Burch (Muscogee County); Brooklynn Cason (Bryan County); Quentin Cherry (Fulton County); Katherine Cook (Gwinnett County); Laura Davis (Hall County); Josiah De-Foor (Stephens County); Alaina Dhople (Carroll County); Jaden Ducelus (Barrow County); Lawson Frye (Emanuel County); Karlee Gaines (Hart County); Kenia Gonzalex-Chavez (Clarke County); Mickensey Hobbs (Crisp County); Catherine “Kai” Hof (Cherokee County); Georgia Johnson (Houston County); Victoria Mobley (Henry County); Owen Mumaw (Pickens County); Mahi Patel (Columbia County); Meera Patel (Floyd County); Elizabeth Redding (Colquitt County); Kialey Spangler (Grady County); Adelle Stay (Muscogee County); Isabella Vaughn (Long County); Matthew “Avery” West (Chatham County); Nell Williams (Oconee County); and Madalynn Zittrouer (Burke County).

The program will kick off this month.