Students from Georgia Highlands College (GHC) along with members of Youth Leadership Bartow gathered on the college’s Cartersville site last Friday to participate in the “Charge Into Leadership Conference.”
The day-long event featured guest speakers like keynote speaker George Mitchell, currently the leader of the largest African American financial services team in Northern California with over 350 licensed representatives.
Mitchell, originally from Atlanta, is also a motivational speaker, inspiring thousands of people working in the financial services industry. He spoke about growing up in a single-parent household in Atlanta and spending time with his grandmother, who influenced and cemented in him the motivation to continue his education and to find a career.
“If you make TikTok videos, most likely you’re doing that because somebody influenced you to do so, you think it looks cool or you see them become successful and you think ‘Hey, I can do that,’” Mitchell said. “What I want to do is influence you to go to the next level and become great leaders, because leaders are people who influence others to do great things.”
Mitchell also spoke to the crowd on his principles of becoming a great leader, which included seeking mentorship and establishing a tremendous work ethic.
In addition to an entrepreneurship speaker panel featuring business leaders from across the country, students attended breakout sessions with GHC faculty and staff covering aspects of leadership, as well as a “Women in Leadership” roundtable.
Session topics included planning for additional higher education, time utility and work-life balance, with guest speakers also providing sessions telling of their own personal and professional experiences while providing insight on motivation and leadership.
Student Seaerra Bodiford said she appreciated learning about the various’ speakers and panelists’ backgrounds. She said a common theme from all speakers that she appreciated was hearing how they all had humble beginnings before becoming great leaders in their field.
“Overall, I think I took away something from each speaker,” Bodiford said. “They all had different views and insights on how to become a better leader and be successful in your career path.”
