Salisbury Academy

SALISBURY — Rowan County has gained ten more young leaders, driven to lead and inspired to make a positive difference in their community.

As part of its strategic mission to develop leaders and stewards of the community, Salisbury Academy, through its Broyhill Leadership Scholarship program, provided scholarships for ten students from Rowan-Salisbury high schools to attend this year’s five-day Broyhill Leadership Conference.

For Taron Lilly, an eleventh-grader at the Rowan County Early College, the experience was eye-opening.

“Broyhill gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who want to go out and have the tools to make an impact on their world,” said Lilly. “I think it is so important for young people to pursue something they are passionate about, to be a part of something bigger than themselves and to want to change the world.”

Topics explored at the Broyhill Leadership Conference include goal setting, leadership, critical thinking, making and learning from mistakes, public speaking, empathy and how to be an effective team member. Students engage in group challenges and team-building exercises while forming strong bonds with their fellow team members, they share.

Isaiah Woods, an eleventh-grader at Salisbury High School, said that he learned a lot about himself and the kind of person he is.

“My greatest takeaways from the Broyhill experience were the networks and friendships that I made, the lessons on leadership and innovation, and an understanding of the different perspectives that you can apply to situations,” said Woods.

In addition to learning about themselves, this year’s group of scholars grew in how they express themselves, they shared.

“I have learned how to speak up and not be nervous when taking leadership roles,” said Ada Wong, twelfth-grader at Jesse C. Carson High School. “I’ve become more mature and confident in my opinions.”

Riley Owens, a twelfth-grader at the Rowan County Early College, had a similar reflection.

“The program helped me come out of my shell and become so much more confident speaking in front of a group,” said Owens.

Scholarship funds for the Broyhill program are raised in part through Salisbury Academy’s Corporate Partners and through the school’s annual spring gala that this year was held at the N.C. Transportation Museum.

This is the ninth consecutive year that Salisbury Academy has provided the Broyhill Leadership Scholarship, an opportunity which sends local students in the tenth to twelfth grades to the Broyhill Leadership Conference each summer. Applications are sent to all of the Rowan-Salisbury high schools. Some students are nominated by their guidance counselors while other students apply on their own.

“Supporting the growth of young leaders is a key aspect of the Salisbury Academy mission,” said Beverly Fowler, head of school. “We’re honored to share this impactful opportunity with Rowan-Salisbury students.”

Lilly, Woods, Wong and Owens, along with their six peers who completed the program this summer, have big plans for how they will use their newfound knowledge and understanding of what it is to be a leader.

“I plan on applying the lessons I’ve learned going forward by setting realistic goals, understanding how to interact with people based on their personality types and giving all my effort towards everything I do, no matter how big or small,” said Owens.

Lilly, too, sees the world as a place of great opportunity after completing the Broyhill program.

“In awarding me the Broyhill scholarship, Salisbury Academy has given me the valuable gift of knowing that I can change the world,” said Lilly. “My goal is to do just that.”

Salisbury Academy would like to thank our Corporate Partners who helped to make the Salisbury Academy Broyhill Leadership Scholarship a reality. For a full list of Salisbury Academy’s Corporate Partners, please visit http://www.salisburyacademy.org/support-sa/corporate-partnership.cfm.