Senoia resident Ryan Thwaites, a student at Landmark Christian School, attended the 2008 Congressional Student Leadership Conference on Engineering and Robotics, sponsored by LeadAmerica at Olin College of Engineering in Boston, Mass., June 16-25, 2008. The CSLC is a college-accredited invitational leadership program for academically talented and promising young leaders from across the United States and Internationally. Thwaites joined other exceptional high school students with records of academic achievement and extracurricular or community involvement who were invited to participate in the summer program and earned two college credits after successfully completing the program.

The CSLC on Engineering and Robotics is a 10-day leadership program in which students explore the potentials and challenges in some of the most dynamic technologies. In a hands-on learning environment, Thwaites and fellow students competed in a series of increasingly difficult engineering challenges that encourage critical thinking and collaboration. 

In the Robotics Simulation, students designed, constructed and programmed an automated machine that performed functions operating by the team’s rules and protocols. Throughout the program, students learned about material logistics, mechanical stress, design strategies and more.

Thwaites enjoyed developing and working with the robots. “I learned that robotics is the next frontier in advancing technology,” he said. He would like to attend the Olin College of Engineering or Georgia Tech University, pursuing studies in engineering and robotics.

“Leadership can make important differences in the lives of teenagers - in their academic and personal performance, in their acceptance to the college of their choice, and in their level of focus, passion, and purpose,” said Chris M. Salamone, Esq., Founder and Executive Director of LeadAmerica. “It is the key to what they do with their lives and how well they do it. In today’s world, it is imperative that we nurture leadership potential from a very young age.

“Since 1989 I have had the privilege of seeing more that 60,000 exceptional students from over 51 countries learn first-hand about leadership and explore its role in a variety of educational disciplines. It’s my sincere hope that LeadAmerica will give young leaders the skills to help them along the road toward a successful and rewarding life of leadership.”

LeadAmerica is the nation’s premier youth leadership organization. With a commitment to providing quality leadership education, LeadAmerica empowers teenage leaders and instills in them ethical and principled leadership values, attitudes, and skills. Each of its high school conferences is college-accredited and its programs are approved activities of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. LeadAmerica sponsors the Congressional Student Leadership Conference for high school students, the National Junior Leaders Conference for middle and junior high school students, Ambassadors Abroad International study programs in China, Australia, and Europe, and Washington Summer Scholars, a college-level academic program held in partnership with American University.

Further information on LeadAmerica and the CSLC can be found at www.lead-america.org or by calling 1.866.FYI.LEAD (394-5323).

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