‘Why Not You?’ Youth Summit Opens Doors for LHS’s Emerging Leaders

With Superintendent Perkins delivering the keynote, a community partnership connects students with resources for college, careers and personal growth

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOL, NJ (Oct. 16) — A microphone. A passport. A first savings account. Each offered a different starting point at the second annual Empowerment Youth Summit: speaking with confidence, exploring another country or learning how to manage money.

For 21 Linden High School students who attended the event Friday, Oct. 16, at the JTG Center, those possibilities came together in one room. Superintendent Dr. Atiya Y. Perkins, the keynote speaker, asked them to consider where leadership begins.

“Who is the leader you are waiting for?”

“Me,” came the response.

“Why not you?” Dr. Perkins asked.

Access First. Impact Next.

Organized by the Raritan Valley, New Jersey Chapter of The Links, Inc., in partnership with the City of Linden, the summit centered on two words: access and impact.

Summit Chair Lisa Scott explained the thinking behind bringing colleges, community organizations, sororities, fraternities and presenters together. Students may have ambition and ability without knowing where to find the information or people who can help them move forward.

“The objective is to provide access and resources for our students to introduce them to things that they may not have been familiar with in the past,” Scott said.

Having those resources together mattered, she said, particularly for students who need more regular opportunities to connect with them.

“To have it all in one room, I think, is gonna make a major impact,” Scott said.

For chapter President Cara Walker, preparation also meant recognizing that students would follow different paths. Some plan to attend college. Others have different goals. All need support for the challenges ahead, including their mental well-being.

Organizers wanted students to be “healthy, not just physically, but mentally, and prepared for what the world has to offer,” Walker said.

Leadership Begins With Showing Up

Perkins brought the discussion back to choices students were already making.

“Leadership starts with you deciding to say yes to be here,” she told them.

She shared a fable about a frog that escaped a deep ditch while others shouted discouragement from above. Unable to hear those voices, the frog kept trying. Perkins used the story to urge students to persist through setbacks without allowing someone else’s doubts to determine what they could accomplish.

She also encouraged them to recognize the support being offered and eventually extend it to others.

“We’re passing the torch because someone passed it to us,” Perkins said.

Linden Mayor Derek Armstead encouraged civic involvement, explaining how participating in local government can help young people understand the decisions that affect their communities.

The Linden students brought their own experiences to those conversations. Dr. Anthony Cartanella, Linden High School’s vice principal for 12th grade, described them as strong academically and active in clubs and school activities. What stood out most to him was their “great leadership potential.”

Cartanella accompanied the group with guidance counselor Laurie Juliano and school social worker Ebony Davis. Students from Rahway, Elizabeth and Roselle public schools also attended.

Practical Tools, Wider Possibilities

After Dr. Perkins’ keynote, students spent the rest of the day in workshops that turned the morning’s messages into opportunities to explore, ask questions and build skills.

Sessions ranged from “Tee Off Your Potential,” a golf workshop, to “Your Money, Your Future” and “Pathways to Passport & Study Abroad.” Students explored creative expression through “The Art of Music, Entertainment and the Power of the Mic” and “Art — Beyond the Brush.”

“Level Up: College and Career Readiness” focused on planning life after high school, while guided meditation and domestic violence prevention brought personal well-being and safety into the conversation.

Event emcee Lenny Green, an award-winning radio host best known as the voice of “The Quiet Storm with Lenny Green,” brought his broadcasting experience to the day’s focus on communication and the power of the microphone.

Artist Alonzo Adams described how his intention to become an engineer gave way to a career in art, with guidance from people who helped him find his way.

“I care about you. I care about your future. I care about giving back,” Adams told students.

Other resources offered practical next steps. Scott said Union County Savings Bank would give students an opportunity to open savings accounts at the event, connecting financial education with a chance to put it into practice.

Maureen Austin of United Way of Greater Union County asked students to stand if they had helped a friend through a difficult situation or believed they could become a leader. Leadership, her exercise suggested, might already be showing up in their everyday lives.

“Your age doesn’t determine your potential and your current circumstances don’t determine your future,” Austin said.

The experience supports Strategic Priority 2: Personalized Pathways, helping students explore options for college, careers and life beyond graduation. The collaboration also puts Strategic Priority 5: Community & Stakeholder Partnership into practice, connecting students with people and resources beyond their school walls.