For the second year in a row, Sandy Springs Together had the honor of hosting the Celebrating Black Excellence program at Sandy Springs Middle School on Friday, February 23, 2024.
The program featured a panel of four Black professionals who shared information about their respective careers and real-life experiences with the students, staff and faculty of SSMS. This panel featured the President and Founder of TheraVisc Biotech, LLC, Dr. Juana Mendenhall, who is also the Walter E. Massey Professor of Physical Sciences at Morehouse College, and included:
Hank Stewart (Panelist) – Emmy Award-winning Poet, Poet Laureate, Best-selling Author
Julius Williams (Panelist) – NFL and CFL Veteran, Youth Mentor
Dr. Edward Jackson (Panelist) – Director of Sports Medicine for Grady Health System; Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery for the Emory Department of Orthopedics-Division of Sports Medicine
Our panelists shared wisdom and knowledge with the students, including the following major takeaways:
- Surround yourself with people who encourage and uplift you.
- Be mindful of what you say on social media – it can have a lasting impact.
- It’s important to be of service to others and to your community.
- Grit and resilience can take you far in life.
Our youth are the future of our city, and we are grateful to our panelists for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak and share their experiences with our young people.
“Sandy Springs is home to brilliant leaders from all backgrounds, races and ethnicities who serve as role models for our youth,” said Melanie Couchman, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Springs Together. “Our goal for this panel discussion was to connect Sandy Springs students with those leaders and to cultivate positive relationships. We hope students left the program feeling inspired to pursue their goals and eventually become community leaders like our panelists.”
We hope to continue collaborating with local organizations and individuals to hold more events like the Celebrating Black Excellence panel that connect our youth with leaders and role models in our community.
