Summit helps high school leaders plan
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia's (UNG) TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership hosted more than 400 high school student organization leaders Sept. 13 for its inaugural Career/Technical Student Organizations Planning Summit.
UNG welcomed the students for a variety of activities at the Convocation Center on the Dahlonega Campus to help them engage in strategic planning for their 2022-23 activities.
"The TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership has a focus to create value by developing ethical leaders. We got to focus on just that with our student organization leaders within Forsyth and Hall County schools during the event," Dr. Rose Procter, director of the TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership, said. "These students are future leaders, whether at UNG, within our region, Georgia, or beyond."
Dr. Valery Lowe, director of College and Career Development for Forsyth County Schools, appreciated the opportunity for students from her district to gain more skills in the event at UNG.
"Forsyth County Schools is thankful for the amazing partnership we have with the University of North Georgia. The CTSO Planning Summit was something we had been wanting to develop pre-COVID, so to see it finally come to fruition was very rewarding," Lowe said. "Students, just like educators, need intentional time to plan yearly activities through this planning retreat, so this event helped them finalize goals and ideas for the year with their career technical student organization."
The TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership has a focus to create value by developing ethical leaders. We got to focus on just that with our student organization leaders within Forsyth and Hall County schools during the event. These students are future leaders, whether at UNG, within our region, Georgia, or beyond.
Dr. Rose Procter
TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership director
Rhonda Samples, executive director of Career, Technical & Agricultural Education and CEO of the Lanier Charter Career Academy for Hall County Schools, values the partnership with UNG and the Mike Cottrell College of Business, which houses the TRUIST Center.
"We were so excited to bring our student organization officer planning teams to the college campus to receive leadership training and have team-building experiences that will help them lead their co-curricular organization this school year," she said. "The officer teams were motivated and excited to plan their program of work for the 2022-23 school year."
Anna Marie Møller, Student Government Association (SGA) president for 2022-23, served as the welcome speaker and was able to interact with the high school students during the summit.
"Being a part of the CTSO Planning Summit is one of the most meaningful experiences of my time in college so far," Møller, a senior from Copenhagen, Denmark, pursuing a degree in psychology, said. "It gave me the opportunity to share my journey as a college student leader and inspire our local middle and high school students to take on their leadership roles with courage, vulnerability and an open mind as they develop their organizations."
Jessica Brown, UNG coordinator of University Events, and Phil Bonelli, senior vice president of Commercial Banking for Regions, alongside several UNG administrators, faculty and staff, also helped students work through their ideas for the year.
The TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership works to develop ethical leaders and to become a catalyst for ethical thought, analysis and engagement. By educating today's leaders and students — tomorrow's leaders — the TRUIST Center for Ethical Leadership seeks to create a deeper understanding of how ethical leadership applies to individuals, organizations and communities.
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