Junior Leaders attend conference
Franklin County’s Junior Leaders received a unique and educational opportunity in February – an opportunity Chamber of Commerce Director Cassie Medley said had a positive impact. Feb. 15, around 30 Junior Leaders attended the 2018 Youth Leadership Conference in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama Bryant Conference Center.
It was the 16th year of the conference, but this is the first year Franklin County Junior Leaders have been in attendance.
“This is the first year I had heard about it, but it was such a great experience,” Medley said.
The conference was hosted by the Alabama Power Company; Western Division Vice President Mark Crews was one of the speakers, along with Myla Calhoun, the president of the Alabama Power Foundation.
Medley said Crews talked about how his original plans for his career and future changed over time and how important it is to keep an open mind.
“The whole event focused on not putting yourself in a box but also doing what you love,” Medley said.
A variety of speakers at the conference represented different aspects of post-high school life, like education, career technical opportunities and business professional opportunities.
“Nobody was there to push them in any one direction or career path; they were just there to educate them on their options,” Medley said.
The speaker who stood out to Medley was Cedric Sparks, the chief of staff for the city of Birmingham.
“He had the students engaged the whole time he was speaking. Words cannot express how incredible he was,” she said.
All conference topics ended up relating to what the Junior Leaders have already been learning, Medley added.
“It really built on the industry day and the job shadowing that the students did recently and reinforced what they’ve been learning about workforce development and planning their future,” she said.
Overall, Medley declared it a motivational and positive day for the students, who also got to take home some door prizes and other free swag.
