Rockdale Youth Leadership (RYL) celebrated the development of another cohort of young leaders at Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) with a graduation ceremony held May 1 at Rockdale Career Academy. The eight-month program, modeled after the Leadership Rockdale program and conducted by RCPS and the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce, teaches sophomores about the industries, institutions, government agencies, and community in Conyers-Rockdale and Georgia.

Participants, who hone leadership skills and receive networking opportunities during the program, often go on to become student leaders during their junior and senior years at RCPS. Graduates will be able to wear a cord at their high school graduation signifying they are a RYL graduate. The 2023 RYL graduates are (pictured with special guest speaker Dee Barnes, Chair of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Evans Tool & Die, and RYL advisors Tami Maddox, DJ Youngblood, Susan Paul Smith): Tamira Anderson (Heritage High School); Vanessa Armand (SHS); Kennedy Binder (HHS); Khaylie Boothe (Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology); Aryanna Brown (RMSST); Amber Cater (Salem High School); Kyra Chinnery (RMSST); Nailah Clarington (RMSST); Jennifer Cruz (RMSST); Paulene Deodat (SHS); Zora Duncan (RMSST); Cionne Gates (RMSST); Adaysha Gilbert (RMSST); Jordan Ginn (HHS); Xaviera Gregg (Rockdale County High School); Carissa Griffin (HHS); Bryce Hooley (HHS); Emil Johnson (RCHS); Shikirah Johnson (RCHS); Emily Mahabir (SHS); Amiya Murray (SHS); Ayana Murray (SHS); Jordan Newton (SHS); Seth Pauls (HHS); Alexander Principe (HHS); Jordan Rogers (RCHS); Jonathan Smiley (RCHS); Makayla St. Rose (HHS); Chelsea Stone (RMSST); James Warren, III (RMSST); Diamond Wilson (SHS). For more information on RYL, contact [email protected]