Be humble and respectful to one another and make a difference, local high school students were advised.
That was a message Monday from program speaker Josh Burnett, owner of JAB Media Group in Columbus, to high school students who participated in the annual day-long Youth Leadership Bartholomew County program at The Commons.
His audience consisted of Bartholomew County students attending Columbus North, Columbus East, Hauser, Columbus Christian and CSA New Tech high schools who are invited as juniors and are required to submit a resume and essay, then go through a professional interview before being accepted into the program.
The Youth Leadership program, which has been active for more than 30 years, gives students a chance to network with professionals in the community, with the overall goal of helping them prepare for life beyond high school, committee member Todd Voelz said.
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“It’s all about what you take away today,” Voelz told the group.
Burnett suggested that students develop a thick skin as they move ahead in life, and to recognize their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
Seek help when you need it, he said, also reminding students of the importance of humility in helping others around them.
“Be humble, be respectful to others. Everyone matters,” Burnett said. “You can make a difference in Columbus. I want you to go out there and do wonderful things.”
Burnett said school shouldn’t be the only time when young people are learning. When they see things they want to accomplish, young adults should know they have an ability to make it happen.
Fellow program speaker Jacob Martin, a financial planner with his firm, Columbus Wealth Inc., which is associated with WestPoint Financial Group, also encouraged students to ask for help, listen and be aware that someone will always be watching them.
Consider your integrity when making decisions that will matter in life, Martin counseled the young leaders.
“You have to be the one making the right choice,” Martin said.
Earlier in the day, Inside/Out Leadership workshops were led by Robyn Spoon and Shyamala Raghunathan, owners of the Global Achievement Center, Columbus.
During this workshop, young people identify their values, preferences and strengths while being paired with career professionals, Spoon said.
“We’re trying to model what that process looks like so students can experience it firsthand,” Spoon said.
Raghunathan said the opportunity for students to connect with professionals during the leadership program is important since many of them don’t know how to find mentors in their particular fields of interest on their own.
Students involved in the workshop also learned different types of questions they might have to answer in the future during a job interview, Spoon said.
“To take a break (from regular classes) and do it all in one setting is a great opportunity,” she said.
Student takeaways
Grace Schuette, a senior at Columbus North High School, said while she has always done well academically, she decided to sign up for Youth Leadership Bartholomew County as a way to help prepare herself for the future, including creating an effective resume.
“Kids nowadays, they need to be equipped with a resume,” Voelz said.
Schuette, who plans a career in law and intends to major in economics at Indiana University upon graduation, also said she found it helpful to network with the professionals who participated in Monday’s leadership program, sponsored by the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation.
Students also competed for cash prizes, with $100 awarded to each of the top 10 essays and 10 resumes, and $1,000 each awarded to two overall top students who scored the highest based on their essay, resume and professional interview.
Jason Abendroth, one of the $1,000 winners, joined the program at the encouragement of his family. His older brother Devin had previously participated.
Abendroth, a senior at Columbus North, plans to major in computer science in college, although he hasn’t selected a specific university yet.
Encouraging others to consider applying, Abendroth said Youth Leadership Bartholomew County helped him gain a different perspective from professionals in their community about their success.
Columbus North classmate Abbey Landini was the second $1,000 winner.
Parents were invited to attend midday awards ceremony, giving them an opportunity to see their child receive recognition through the program.
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Here are the top 10 resume award recipients, each of whom receives $100.
- Maggie Buffo, Columbus East
- Megna Chari, Columbus East
- Isha Chavan, Columbus East
- Emma Cooper, Columbus North
- Sam Horak, Columbus North
- Emily Jones, Hauser
- Sean Miller, Hauser
- Jonathan Pfiffner, Columbus North
- Julia Soda, Columbus North
- Lauren Wetterau, Columbus North
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Here are the top 10 essay award recipients, each of whom receives $100.
- Emma Cooper, Columbus North
- Miranda Heiland, Columbus North
- Anna Hollie, Columbus North
- Claire Kilbarger-Stumpff, Columbus East
- Claire Kim, Columbus North
- Abbey Landini, Columbus North
- Szczesny Lipinski, Columbus East
- Jonathan Pfiffner, Columbus North
- Priyadarshini Subramaniam, Columbus North
- Evan Wieneke, Columbus East
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Here are top two overall leadership winners, each of whom received $1,000, determined by combined scores on their essay, resume and professional interview.
- Jason Abendroth, Columbus North
- Abbey Landini, Columbus North
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