Youth LEAD Georgia™ has announced the graduation of its 2025 leadership cohort, celebrating 28 outstanding high school students from across the state—including Summerville’s own Adalyn Winder, who represented Chattooga County on the statewide stage.

Winder, a standout young leader from Summerville, was selected from applicants across Georgia to participate in the prestigious, yearlong program. Her inclusion highlights the remarkable talent emerging from Chattooga County’s youth, and her accomplishments were recognized alongside students from 27 other counties during a graduation ceremony held November 10 at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville.

The ceremony marked the conclusion of a transformative year of leadership development, civic engagement, and hands-on learning. Throughout the program, students traveled across Georgia, attending leadership sessions, connecting with business and civic leaders, and gaining real-world experience through regional meetings, a weeklong bus tour, and a statewide summer summit involving more than 150 youth.

Youth LEAD Georgia is housed in the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and supported through a $1.5 million pledge from Chick-fil-A, allowing the entire program to be offered at no cost to participants. This ensures equal access to leadership development opportunities for students of all backgrounds.

Program officials praised the commitment, curiosity, and service demonstrated by the cohort, emphasizing that these students represent the next generation of Georgia’s civic and community leaders.

WZQZ congratulates Adalyn Winder of Summerville, along with all members of the 2025 Youth LEAD Georgia graduating class:

2025 Youth LEAD Georgia Graduates:
Mia Burnett (Sale City), Timothy Carter (Augusta), Victoria Alexis Clark (Smyrna), Ryan Clark (Albany), Brodie Combs (Grovetown), Paige Folette (Blackshear), Abigail Garland (Mansfield), Nathaniel Guidry (Athens), Kenwin Hayes (Lilburn), Zoe Hill (Between), Chandler Lewis (McDonough), Davis Markham (Newnan), Londyn Miller (Atlanta), Elaina Parker (Lawrenceville), Brooks Potter (Americus), Vivian Reyes-Martinez (Cartersville), John Rice (Roswell), Yasmin Rios (Swainsboro), Najah Saadiq (Cairo), Caroline Sawhill (Rome), Mason Scoville (Carrollton), Sneha Singh (Warner Robins), Abigail Sulkowski (Rincon), Andrew Taylor (Griffin), Holden Walton (Valdosta), Jonas Wei (Cumming), Colin Williams (Colquitt), Adalyn Winder (Summerville).