Each year for more than a decade, high school students from around the county make a transformation into confident, aware and compassionate young people in the Youth Leadership class provided by a partnership with Milligan College and the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce.

Following an application and interview process with program leader Chandrea Shell of Milligan, 25 students were selected to participate. At their commencement Monday, many said they entered the program with excitement and apprehension, but upon completion they wouldn’t trade it for anything. They said it gave them the opportunity to learn, to serve and to develop a sense of responsibility.

Throughout the year, they completed various team building exercises and visited cultural, governmental, civic, industrial and agricultural sites as well as completing service projects in groups. The program also offers students dual enrollment credits for Foundations for Community Leadership.

Each group volunteered at one of the following locations: Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, Ivy Hall Nursing Home, Second Harvest Food Bank, Food for the Multitude, or Salvation Army. At Monday’s commencement, they shared their experiences of getting out of their comfort zones and sharpening communication and leadership skills.

From scraping gum off of floors, to walking dogs, to cleaning bathrooms, to cutting spaghetti, to setting out boxes to collect food, students concluded no task is too small to make an impact.

“A leader is anybody who steps up to the occasion,” said Hampton’s Adam McClain, who worked with Second Harvest.

Many said the ability to work in unfamiliar places and to interact with people gave them the opportunity to get to know places in their community where they had never been and to meet the folks that continue to make those programs successful for those who depend upon them.

In their review of the leadership program, many emphasized the importance of teamwork, and of understanding how to listen and follow in order to lead.

Cloudland’s Lorraine Hayes worked with Salvation Army and said it was humbling, and she learned she did not have to be at the top of the chain of command to be a leader. She said a good leader must be willing to do the things no one else wants to do.

“Even if you’re not directly helping the people, you can help someone in the very beginning of a long chain of command and in the end, you’re still going to be helping those people at the very end, “ said Allie Arrington, a Hampton student who worked with Second Harvest.

Jake Johnson, who volunteered with the animal shelter, cited Proverbs 31 verses 8-9, saying leadership meant defending the rights of the needy and speaking for those who do not have a voice.

Ironically, public speaking was most students’ greatest fear during the interview process, Shell said.

Happy Valley’s Amber Earp said when she had to speak before three people in an interview at the beginning of the program, she was terrified, but by the end, she spoke with confidence and poise, along with her peers before an audience of parents and community members. She went on to express her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the program.

Earp shared a story explaining the impact their gift of balloons and bears made to the residents of Ivy Hall, especially to one woman.

“I’m so grateful for this program and what it teaches everybody,” Earp said. “It teaches that no matter how little you are or how insignificant you seem, you can make a big difference.”

Students were grateful, saying the program transformed them and showed them the true meaning of leadership.

“There are different types of leaders… There is not a specific type of leader. Anyone can be a leader,” said Amy Hyder of EHS. “The stereotype of a good leader is a good speaker — they can get up and give a speech with no flaws, no errors, but I can’t do that. But a lot of people are good listeners or good organizers and those are plenty of the things that make a good leader.”

Keynote speaker Tommy Tipton, owner and operator of Elizabethton Chick-fil-A, encouraged students to surround themselves with leaders and to believe in their own goals.

After sharing his story of growing up in poverty, attending seven different elementary schools and experiencing his parents’ divorce, he shared an encouraging message,  “No matter where you are in life, you can get to where you want to go.”

Participating students included from Cloudland: Noah Arnett, Mallory Church, Malkam Davis, Lorraine Hayes, and Jonah Roberts; from Hampton: Allie Arrington, Philip Arrington, Austin Boling, Adam McClain, and Chris Timmons; from Elizabethton: Taylor Bowers, Haley Burleson, Ashley Depew, Alijah Egolf, Logan Guy, Nathan Hargis, Cortlyn Holdren, Amy Hyder, Keaton Johnson, Mackenzie Lyons, Bailey Montgomery, Grace Roberts, and Dalton Shell; from Happy Valley: Amber Earp and Jake Johnson.

Students and program leaders thanked Milligan, the Chamber of Commerce and Citizens Bank for continuing to make this program possible. Most said they would like to return to their service areas to continue volunteering, and some offered information to encourage others to get involved.

“This project was so much more than I expected,” said Mallory Church of Cloudland High School.

Those interested in applying for the program next year should contact their high school counselor. Applications are due to the Chamber of Commerce by May 20 and interviews are held during the summer. More information is available online by clicking this link.