Educational Talent Search high school seniors will “cross borders and dream big” at the Youth Leadership Summit on Feb. 12 in the Southeastern Community College auditorium. The main objectives of the event are to raise global awareness about the services that Educational Talent Search offers to youth in Columbus County. Additionally, the event aims to assist high school seniors in mastering resume-building and personal branding. The highlight of the summit will be a meet and greet mini masterclass with 2024’s Miss North Carolina’s Teen Kamryn Hollowell. 

Dr. Leslie Brown, Director of SCC’s Educational Talent Search program, said the purpose of the summit is to empower ETS’s graduating seniors with leadership abilities, effective communication skills and global knowledge. Brown expects 40 to 60 students to attend the summit.  

“They will be guided by a diverse network of transformational thought leaders to build a cross-cultural foundation for academic and professional success in an ever-changing world,” Brown said. “What I’m looking forward to most is the students walking away with global knowledge, workforce readiness education skills and soft skills. We’re planting the seed for these seniors to work and thrive in a global society.” 

Hollowell made history as the 20th Miss North Carolina’s Teen, a title she earned after years of involvement with the Miss America Organization, starting at age 8. Hollowell’s advocacy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) began at age 9, motivated by her mother’s diagnosis with Ulcerative Colitis. Through her initiative, Project Purple, she has raised more than $5,000, collaborated with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation – Carolinas Chapter and even lobbied for IBD research on Capitol Hill. 

Hollowell will speak on stage to seniors at the Youth Leadership Summit about enhancing critical thinking, communication, leadership, and personal development skills. The first three featured speakers include Dr. Lacrisa Darby, Andrea Martin and Dr. Raquel A. Stuart. These featured speakers and mini masterclass instructors will present a live broadcast to the audience via Zoom.  

Darby, a success story and product of ETS and Upward Bound, is the assistant vice-principal at an American international curriculum school in United Arab Emirates. With more than a decade of educational work experience, Darby will speak on gaining leadership skills and developing her love for travel through ETS and Upward Bound sponsored trips.  

Martin is a Client Success Head of Citibank in Europe and United Kingdom. With more than 31 years of work experience with Citibank, Martin manages a large team that spans eight European countries. She describes herself as an “out of the box” international motivational speaker, Amazon international best-selling author, certified life coach and certified life purpose and discovery expert.  

Stuart is an educator, international speaker, author and board-certified life coach. She was an associate dean at a Chinese university, and she describes herself as a “fierce interrupter of disempowerment.” Stuart is an advocate for collective progress across the Black community.  

When seniors arrive on campus on Feb. 12, they will complete a registration form and eat a continental breakfast in the SCC auditorium lobby. They will hear welcoming remarks from Dr. Sylvia Cox, SCC Executive Vice President, and Colene Faulk, SCC Dean of Student Services. After the mini masterclass sessions, they will eat lunch in Nesmith Student Center provided by Columbus Career and College Academy’s culinary program.  

After lunch, seniors will hear from NCWorks Career Center Manager Ruth High. She will speak about resume writing and interviewing skills. Next, the seniors will learn about passport rules and regulations from SCC Foundation Executive Director Terrie Priest. Before the final mini masterclass with Miss North Carolina’s Teen, seniors will get photo opportunities with Hollowell during a “Strike a Pose and Smile” session.   

The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. SCC is looking forward to hosting this event and helping students get to where they want to go. Got more questions about the Youth Leadership Summit? Contact Dr. Brown at [email protected].