Local students with an interest in leadership received inspirational and educational guidance during a recent conference.
A group of Thomas County Central High School Student Council members attended the Georgia Association of Student Councils Leadership Summit 2017 in Atlanta Nov. 6. TCCHS participants were JHarre Bush, Tommy Piland, Caleb Moore, Michael Cress, Christin Connelly, Edjenee Corbin, Auburne Mobley and Sierra Hadley.
“Starting small and dreaming big is an important aspect that I’ve taken away from the GASC Summit 2017,” participant Auburne Mobley said. “I’m proud to have learned things that I’m happy to bring back to my peers in student council.”
The GASC is only one of three groups with access to the Georgia House of Representatives’ floor to conduct meetings, according to TCCHS Student Council sponsor Teresa Carver. During the summit, two general sessions are held there and participating school councils are allowed to seat four members on the floor during each one.
Participants heard from various influential Georgia leaders including Gov. Nathan Deal (who issued a proclamation declaring the week Georgia Student Council Week) and Sen. Blake Tillery and guest speakers like Kevin Paul Scott, author of “8 Essential Exchanges: What You Have to Give Up to Go Up.”
Scott shared some of the exchanges outlined in his book with summit participants. These included “exchanging fans for friends” and “exchanging expedience for excellence.”
“At the GASC Summit, a plethora of information for leadership and communication was imparted,” TCCHS Student Council member Caleb Moore said. “I loved the session with Kevin Scott. The information he yielded was a hybrid of literary elements and leadership advice. From his session, I learned how to effectively and efficiently lead.”
Michael Cress, another TCCHS Student Council member who attended the summit, also appreciated Scott’s presentation. He took the exchanges discussed – like “exchanging exceptions for accomplishments” – and Scott’s advice to heart. One tidbit that stuck out to Cress is Scott’s assertion, “There’s nothing better than watching the world change than being involved in the world changing.”
Also, students attended workshops to help develop their leadership abilities in relation to this year’s summit theme, “Start Small, Dream BIG!” The culmination of the summit was a service project by nationally syndicated radio show The Bert Show’s Big Thank You, which sends letters to American soldiers overseas during the holidays.
TCCHS Student Council member JHarre Bush found the summit to be “inspirational and educational.” He believes the summit showed him how both Georgia and the entire country have “an extremely bright future ahead.”
“We have such an amazing group of young individuals who are ready to face the challenges of the world and conquer them tremendously,” Bush said. “One of the great speakers talked about the importance of being a great leader and how leading will be one of the greatest accomplishments you could ever do. This is a key point in life because one day we will have to take the place of our present representatives and lead this country.”