Proud families gathered at The Plaza Arts Center last Thursday for the 2024 Eatonton Youth Leadership graduation ceremony, where six young high school students were honored for their commitment to learning and leading their community.
Guest speaker Freddie D. Broome has over 25 years of leadership experience in local government, primarily from his extensive career in fire service. He gave the graduates wisdom before Eatonton City Councilwoman Janie Reid handed them their Emerging Leader Award plaques.
Each graduate expressed fond memories of their time in the program, with most mentioning how it helped them develop important leadership and teamwork skills, learn about municipal government, community partnerships, and more.
Among the graduates was Putnam County High School (PCHS) senior Colby Cash, who recently enlisted in the Army National Guard. Following basic training, Colby plans to attend the University of Georgia and major in biology pre-med. His wish for Eatonton is for it to continue growing as a community and to support its youth.
Seth Harris Jr., another PCHS senior, said he plans to pursue a degree in Animal Science at Fort Valley State University after graduating in May. Seth hopes to work in animal embryology and reproduction and said he looks forward to future opportunities for youth engagement in Eatonton.
“Providing our young people with platforms to express themselves and contribute to our community is essential,” Seth stated.
Jay Terrell is also a PCHS senior who plans to become a real estate agent after graduation. He said a favorite inspirational quote is: “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
Gatewood senior Jake Rich is a member of the school’s championship-winning baseball and basketball teams. He also belongs to several school clubs and plans to attend UGA or GCSU next year to pursue a career in medicine. He said his wish for Eatonton is for young adults to continue taking advantage of opportunities to better themselves.
John Van de Planque is also a senior at Gatewood School. He plans to attend Auburn University next fall to begin studying mechanical engineering. John lives by the Boy Scout motto "Be prepared" and said he tries to apply it to every aspect of his life.
Putnam County senior Baylen Yarbrough said she has been enrolled in the early college program at Georgia College & State University since seventh grade. She will graduate in May 2025 with her associate degree and certification in Automotive Mechanics. She also participates in track, competition cheer, sideline cheer, and softball. Baylen’s wish for Eatonton is for it to raise more stars who will individually impact the world.
Each of the Eatonton Youth Leadership graduates said they were very thankful for the time and effort put into this program by many supporters. Councilwoman Reid said she was touched and encouraged by each student’s dedication to learning and working hard to succeed.