Establishing a mission and setting SMART goals is essential to a life well lived.
Goals and missions can be categorized as being easy, crazy and impossible.
I love to seek crazy goals and missions. L.E.A.D.’s (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) mission is to empower an at risk generation to lead and transform their city of Atlanta. That’s crazy and here is why!
1. Atlanta Public Schools serves 50,000+ students and 80% of those students live at or below the poverty level
2. Youth from inner city Atlanta zip codes 30310, 30315 and 30318 grow up to represent 80% of the Georgia Prison population
3. 60% of black males from Atlanta Public Schools will not graduate from high school on time or at all
Really lock in on this conversation that I had with L.E.A.D. Ambassador Austin Evans after our meeting with Georgia Governor Deal yesterday at the State Capitol.
Austin Evans is a senior at Atlanta Public Schools’ New Schools at Carver and is also a POSSE Foundation Scholarship recipient. He will be taking his talents to Texas A&M in the fall. Keep Austin uplifted in your prayers also because he is a finalist for the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Foundation Scholarship.
Rise up Atlanta!
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| Excuse the LSU sweatshirt that Austin is wearing Aggie fans! |
CJ: Describe the personality of the Governor?
A. Evans: His personality was professional and as the conversation continued he showed me a more welcoming side of him. He’s a very nice man.
CJ: Describe his hand shake?
A. Evans: He gave a respectable firm handshake while looking me in the eyes.
CJ: Can the Governor connect with teenage black males? Describe.
A. Evans: The governor can connect with black males if he reaches out to them in way that makes them comfortable. Black males feel as though the government doesn’t exist to help them. That barrier must be removed before we can truly connect.
CJ: What surprised you the most about the Governor?
A. Evans: The most surprising thing was that he remembered my grandfather extremely well and had the utmost respect for him. My grandfather shined Governor Deal’s shoes in Gainesville long before he became the Governor of Georgia.
CJ: If you had the power, influence and the leadership of the Governor, what three problems would you solve first in Georgia?
A. Evans: First I would change the disparities in the educational system. Second, I would close the tremendous wealth gap. Third, I would promote more unity and competition because through competition greatness happens.
CJ: What will you be doing in the year 2040?
A. Evans: In 2040, I plan on being a U.S. Senator representing and empowering Georgia.
Austin actually told Governor Deal that he wanted to become a U.S. Senator and the Governor’s look into Austin’s eyes was priceless. Thank you Kelli Stewart for capturing that surreal moment.
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| L.E.A.D. Ambassador Austin Evans and Governor Nathan Deal |
All we have to do now is continue leading.
Join us at lead2legacy.org.