Travis Richardson of Peachtree City, Ga., joined other outstanding eighth and ninth grade students from across the nation in a unique leadership development program held in 32 cities across the country this spring. Themed Courageous Leadership, the National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC) helps young scholars take an introspective and highly-personalized assessment of their leadership skills and abilities.

Richardson is a rising sophomore at Starr’s Mill High School. He was nominated by Michelle Settle from Rising Starr Middle School, who recognized him as an outstanding individual achieving academic excellence and strong leadership potential.

Throughout the four-day program, held Feb. 28 to March 2 in Atlanta, scholars built a working "toolkit" of strategies to help them successfully dream, create and implement plans that will change how they view their role as leaders in their communities.

"The steps each person takes in discovering his or her own leadership strengths can be a very personal process," said Mike Lasday, executive director of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC), the organization that sponsors NYLSC. "The National Young Leaders State Conference will help students get at the heart of their innate talents and skills and will also help them identify how best they can serve within their communities."

The NYLSC curriculum focuses on an introspective and highly-personalized assessment of each student's leadership skills and abilities. The scholars will be challenged to step forward in a manner that is decisive and confident, to grasp the concepts of leadership that will be taught and to act upon their dreams of making a difference in the world while maintaining the courage of their convictions.

The Congressional Youth Leadership Council is a nonpartisan educational organization. Founded in 1985, the CYLC is committed to fostering and inspiring young people to achieve their full leadership potential. Nearly 400 members of the U.S. Congress join this commitment by serving on the CYLC Honorary Congressional Board of Advisors. In addition, more than 50 embassies participate in the CYLC's Honorary Board of Embassies.

For additional information, visit www.cylc.org.

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