Medea Creek students picked for leadership program

Two eighth grade students from Medea Creek Middle School recently were invited to take part in a unique leadership development program that is being rolled out in 22 cities across the country.

Connor Paden and Katie Speidel attended the National Young Leaders State Conference titled "Courageous Leadership" From Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 in Irvine.

While at the conference, approximately 120 young scholars from California and Arizona participated in an introspective and highly personalized assessment of their skills and abilities

Throughout the four-day event the students built a working "toolkit" of strategies to help them develop 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 strength is a very personal process," said Mike Lasday, executive director of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, the organization that sponsored the conference.

"The National Young Leaders State Conference helps students get at the heart of their innate talents and skills, and also helps them identify how best they can serve within their communities," Lasday said.

The Youth Leadership Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985.