Four Laurel County students graduate The Center's youth programs

Janie Slaven, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·3 min read

Aug. 25—Four students from Laurel County graduated The Center for Rural Development's youth programs this summer.

Rogers Scholars

Trey Jackson, a student at South Laurel High School, graduated the 25th annual Rogers Scholars youth leadership program. He is the son of Barry and Shana Jackson, of London.

Rogers Scholars, The Center's flagship youth program, was established through the vision of U.S. Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) that "no young person should have to leave home to find his or her future." The camp focuses on honing skills in leadership, team building, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, community service, and students participate in different career pathway majors.

The Center hosted two camps of Rogers Scholars at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY and Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY. Sixty-eight students graduated the program.

As a graduate of the program, students earn potential access to exclusive scholarships at some of the state's top-ranked colleges and universities. In order to complete their eligibility, students have to organize their own community service project in their hometown.

"Every summer we are impressed and inspired by the students who graduate from the program," said Lonnie Lawson, President and CEO of The Center for Rural Development. "They are focused on their future and passionate about the communities in which they live. These are the students who, in the future, will be leading our communities, our schools, our businesses, and our government. They give us hope for a better Southern and Eastern Kentucky."

Rogers Scholars, along with The Center's other youth programs, are provided tuition-free. Lodging and food are provided at no cost to participants. The application period for the 2023 Rogers Scholars Program will run from October 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023.

Rogers Explorers

Two Laurel County students graduated from the Rogers Explorers Program: Ryse Sutton, of North Laurel Middle School; and Savannah Blevins, a homeschooled student.

Sutton is the son of Ben and Teshawna Sutton, of London; Blevins is the daughter of Grant and Gloria Blevins, of London.

Rogers Explorers is open to eighth-grade students in Southern and Eastern Kentucky who have a strong interest in developing their skills in leadership, team building, community service, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields of study.

Explorers is a three-day and two-night program on six different college campuses: Lindsey Wilson College, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, Asbury University, University of the Cumberlands, and Union College.

The application period for the 2023 Rogers Explorers Program will run from November 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023.

Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute

Lukas Johnson, a student at South Laurel High School, graduated the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute. He is the son of Sandy and Stacy Johnson, of London.

The Center for Rural Development partnered with Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation and Eastern Kentucky University to develop the program. During the camp, ELI business teams competed in the Business Concept Challenge. Members of the winning team earned a scholarship from EKU. Johnson was a member of the winning team.

ELI is a weeklong summer leadership camp for student entrepreneurs. ELI provides high school students in Southern and Eastern Kentucky with an in-depth look at what it takes to start their own business venture — from idea development to building a model prototype of their business concept.

The Center for Rural Development partnered with Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation and Eastern Kentucky University to develop the program. During the camp, ELI business teams competed in the Business Concept Challenge. Members of the winning team earned a scholarship from EKU.

The application period for ELI 2023 will be from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023.

For more information about The Center's youth programs, contact Amy Ellis at The Center at aellis@centertech.com or call 606-677-6000. To apply for any of The Center's youth programs, visit centeryouthprograms.com.