The 2015-2016 City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA) students were honored at the May 17 Asheville City Council meeting for their outstanding contributions to the community.
All 25 students were awarded a $2,000 scholarship to support their goals for higher education.
CAYLA, created in April 2007, places Asheville High School students in prestigious summer internships and offers ongoing leadership development throughout the academic year. The vast majority of CAYLA students will be the first in their families to attend college. The program is supported in part by Buncombe County.
CAYLA students are chosen from eligible applicants at Asheville High School and School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville (SILSA) by a committee of community leaders. Each student is required to submit an essay application and two teacher recommendations to the committee, and attend an in-person interview. After attending an orientation in June, students will begin 8-week internships at the both City and County Departments, as well as with a number of participating nonprofits and businesses including CarePartners, the Omni Grove Park Inn, LEAF, JB Media and VisionSource.
The graduating seniors will attend college across the region, including Appalachian State University, UNC Greenboro, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina A&T, Mars Hill University, Morehouse College, St. Augustine’s University, Warren Wilson College and Western Carolina University.
Congratulations to our CAYLA students!!
Related coverage: City of Asheville announces Youth Leadership Academy’s incoming Class of 2016-2017