MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Three rising seniors from Talladega County – Ethan Butler of Fayetteville High School, Olivia Sullivan of B.B. Comer High School, and K-La’ Tinsley of Sylacauga High School – were among 35 students selected statewide to attend the Huntingdon College Economic and Community Development Scholars Program.
Representing the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce, the students participated in the sixth annual program held on Huntingdon’s Montgomery campus. The two-day event, a collaboration between the college’s Presidential Scholars Program and the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, helped introduce students to economic and community development across the state.
Students were nominated by their local chambers and selected for their leadership potential. The program featured sessions with state leaders including Dr. Anthony Leigh, Huntingdon President; Jim Searcy, Executive Director of the Economic Development Association of Alabama; and Jess Skaggs, Chief of Staff for the state’s Lieutenant Governor.
Participants engaged in hands-on exercises, representing fictional cities and competing to attract corporate headquarters by creating marketing materials and delivering final pitches. The winning team was honored in with a mock groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“Every year, this program brings together the cream of the crop from high schools across Alabama,” said Dr. Anthony Leigh. “All of these students are ambitious, dynamic leaders. They have eager-to-learn attitudes, and they are passionate about their local communities. They have a genuine spirit of involvement, they are highly creative, and they obviously enjoy connecting with other students just like them. Their Chambers of Commerce have noticed something special in each of them and they are all exceptional ambassadors for their hometowns and their individual high schools. Each of these students is a proven difference maker and they give me great confidence that Alabama’s future is very bright.”
Bria Rochelle-Stephens, the program’s director, praised the students’ creativity and dedication.
“I have been greatly impressed by the students who have participated in the program this year,” Rochelle-Stephens noted. “I have come to learn so much and have gained a deeper appreciation of the great cities and towns around our state because of the dedicated and personable students that represent them. I have high hopes that the leadership of our local communities in Alabama will thrive with the talent and the ambitions these incredible students possess.”
The students return home with new insights and a deeper understanding of how to shape their communities.
