FCPS sends 18 juniors to Leadership Lexington Youth Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Eighteen juniors in the Fayette County Public Schools system will participate in the 2020-21 Leadership Lexington Youth Program, which prepares high school juniors through education and interaction as they explore their community, according to FCPS.

Even though the program was modified due to COVID-19, the teenagers plan to network with local leaders on a variety of issues, including career fields, business opportunities and post-secondary options.

Among the modifications to the program, trimming the number of students from the usual four dozen because of social distancing concerns.

Here is the Fayette County LLYP class roster:

• From Bryan Station High School: James Grant, Larae Jackson, and Corinne Sharrard;
• Carter G. Woodson Academy: Tomias Rushin;
• Frederick Douglass High School: Kendall Davis;
• Henry Clay High School: Mihail Mihaylov;
• Lafayette High School: Sophie Agbekpenou, Liliane Rose Elayi, Riley Gossage, Manya Tiwari, Pragya Upreti, and Audrey Wirasakti;
• Paul Laurence Dunbar High School: Yann Philipps Galindo, Sarah Ming, McKenna Sun, and Emily Xiao;
• STEAM Academy: Maeve Whitlock; and
• Tates Creek High School: Emma Askren.

In addition to the FCPS students, the class includes one from Trinity Christian Academy, one from Lexington Catholic High School, two from Sayre School, and three from Lexington Christian Academy.

After the Sept. 2 orientation, the combination of virtual and in-person sessions will continue one Wednesday a month: Local Lex Day (Oct. 7), Health & Human Services Day (Nov. 4), Government & Public Safety Day (Dec. 2), Arts & Media Day (Jan. 6), Ambassadors for Change Day (Feb. 3), and Higher Education & Career Development Day (March 3). The April 7 graduation luncheon, featuring the 2021 Distinguished Leader Award, caps the program.

For more on LLYP, visit the Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass website, email program manager Natalie Appel, or call (859) 219-2423. JA has taken over LLYP from Commerce Lexington, which founded the program in 2004.