Student leadership Johns Creek (SLJC)

SLJC provides a platform to empower high school students in the Johns Creek area

After weeks of hard work, Jha showcases the renovation of the Macedonia African American Methodist Church Cemetery.

Photo courtesy of Amulya Rekapalli

Cameron Chappell, Noelle Reid, Staff Writers

With the new generation of students always finding innovative ways to progress, the nonprofit program Student Leadership Johns Creek (SLJC) is helping provide a platform to empower students. SLJC works in collaboration with Fulton County Schools: Northview High School, Centennial High School, Chattahoochee High School, Johns Creek High School, and has added Innovation Academy this year. Students from these high schools enter the two-year program their sophomore or junior year of high school. Once a student is accepted, he or she does not have to repeat the application process to participate in the second year. Because the program is highly competitive, sophomores who are rejected are encouraged to reapply their junior year.

Every year, SLJC also selects nine students for its Secretary of State Ambassadors team. The ambassadors compete in a statewide competition, which SLJC has won twice during the last three years. 

Aside from competing as Secretary of State Ambassadors, SLJC students have the opportunity to work on a community project with a group of four other students at their school during their first year in the program. The second year is more individual-oriented, focusing more on the creation of a portfolio, LinkedIn profile, and resume. Students also choose a career field they are interested in, and SLJC makes arrangements for them to shadow a professional in that field.

As members of the organization, students plan and carry out projects that serve the community in some way. Recently, a team of 10 SLJC students took on a project involving the history of Johns Creek. Although Johns Creek was established around 15 years ago, the land that it stands on has an extensive history. These students have taken it upon themselves to actively preserve the city’s history through their SLJC project. 

“We are building the Macedonia African American Methodist Church Cemetery into a memorial garden to honor the enslaved who were buried at the cemetery and their descendants,” Northview junior Shresta Jha said. 

Jha’s group has taken in donations from the community in order to fund this project. This cemetery is home to an abundance of unmarked graves and the group must use penetrating radar to locate the deceased and mark their final resting places with headstones. 

“It’s really crucial to get involved because it’s our history, and we need help to restore this area in peace and memory,” Jha said. 

Like Jha, Amulya Rekapalli’s group saw their project as the perfect opportunity to honor the history of Johns Creek, but they also wanted to center the project around the children of Johns Creek, Her group started off reading aloud to elementary school kids a few times a week to alleviate the workload on teachers. 

“We realized that we never really learned about the history of Johns Creek or how it was formed, so we thought it would be fun to read our own book to the kids,” Rekapalli said. 

She and her team members wrote and illustrated a book before sending the rough draft off to be printed. It tells the story of what is now known as Johns Creek from before British settlers arrived in the area. “The most satisfying thing was being able to see the book and hold it in my hand,” Rekapalli said. “All our work actually paid off and I have a physical thing to hold to prove that I worked.” 

Rekapalli’s group proudly shares the history of Johns Creek through story book.

Photo courtesy of Amulya Rekapalli

SLJC is open to all career pathways and wants students to grow as leaders in whatever field they choose to take on later in life.

“I mean everything that you do involves some form of leadership. It's tapping into your potential as a leader,” Irene Sanders, SLJC’s executive director, said. “I think I see a huge difference in confidence level. By the time that they get out of the program, they seem a lot more confident in their leadership abilities.” 

The program recently worked alongside professionals in the medical field and held webinars on environmental protection, women in STEM careers, and  International Women’s day. A Harvard student spoke candidly about learning virtually, leading to discussions among administrators and students regarding how difficult it is to be in a virtual environment. A number of SLJC alumni came back to speak with participating students on their experience with the program and how it ties with their current job and student life.

“A girl came back and said the online portfolio that they had to do was her very first assignment at Princeton, and she said her teacher was impressed she already had it done and she didn't have to redo it,” Sanders said. “They come back and they talk about the things they learned and how they've applied it to real life, so it's always nice of them to connect with me and have coffee when they come home for break.”

Although SLJC looks good on college applications, students also learn skills that will last a lifetime and get hands-on experience with outreach in the community. The program helps them improve their time management and establish connections with professionals that give them insight into different industries, as well as future internships and job opportunities. 

With the COVID-19 outbreak happening a year ago, SLJC students have not met up in person for several months. All activities and meetings have been virtual, but everyone has since adapted to this new normal.

 “I'm always so excited to work with all of the kids. I tell people how bright the next generation is and they're so passionate about things that they want to do and it always makes me feel really good that this generation is resilient of having to learn online and do all of this,” Sanders said.