Twenty-one high school students across Georgia have been named “2026 Georgia Youth Leadership Awards” honorees by statewide nonprofit 21st Century Leaders (21CL).
Each year, the organization (which provides leadership development, career exploration and mentorship opportunities to Georgia high schoolers) selects 21 students throughout the state for the award, recognizing them for their “leadership, service and impact in their schools and communities,” said a press release.
This year’s class consisted of nonprofit founders, entrepreneurs, advocates and volunteers from schools in the counties of Berrien, Bibb, Chatham, Cobb, Coffee, Columbia, DeKalb, Emanuel, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Muscogee, Pickens and Richmond.
2026 Georgia Youth Leadership Award Honorees
- Eunchan Choo, Columbus High School (Muscogee County); coached by Johnny Nguyen, Atlanta Police Department
- Reese Davis, Pickens High School (Pickens County); coached by Assi Van Bastelaar, Atlassian
- Blake Davis, The Galloway School (Fulton County); coached by Bre Pittman, Sage
- Utshaho Gupta, Atlanta International School (Fulton County); coached by Dr. Adriane Randolph, Kennesaw State University
- Taylor Harper, Charles R. Drew Charter School (DeKalb County); coached by Whitney Deal Marshall, Whitney Marshall Coaching
- Kareem Hassan, Lakeside High School (Columbia County); coached by Marty Fleischmann, Masters Team Ventures
- Josie Herren, Berrien High School (Berrien County); coached by Ashley Lee, The Coca-Cola Company, 21CL Board of Directors
- Keauna Holloway, Kendrick High School (Muscogee County); coached by Lanita Lucas, Aflac
- Kezia Kotey, DeKalb Early College Academy (DeKalb County); coached by Martha Revelo, DeKalb County Government
- Mami Masoka, Howard High School (Bibb County); coached by Mary Walker, Invesco
- Levi McCoy, Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School (Richmond County); coached by Dr. Brandon Morgan, Iconic Orthodontics, 21CL Alumnus
- Dominic Mimbang, Coffee High School (Coffee County); coached by Matt Westmoreland, Atlanta City Council
- Justan Mosley Jr., Allatoona High School (Cobb County); coached by Hassim Diallo, JP Morgan
- Marleigh Robinson, Westlake High School (Fulton County); coached by Maranie Brown, BlackRock, 21CL Board of Directors
- Samadhi Salgado, Emanuel County Institute (Emanuel County); coached by Tiffany Reed, Purpose Possible
- Aadi Shah, Innovation Academy (Fulton County); coached by Pranav Dhingra, Equifax, 21CL Board of Directors
- Omer Shoaib, Brookwood High School (Gwinnett County); coached by Juan Mejia, JCM Ventures
- Leilanie Singleton, Woodville-Tompkins High School (Chatham County); coached by Paula Lett, Wellstar Health Systems
- MyKel Smith, B.E.S.T. Academy (Fulton County); coached by Mallom Liggon, Warner Bros. Discovery, 21CL Board of Directors
- Brooke Smith, KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School (Fulton County); coached by Jon Neff, SKL’D, 21CL Board of Directors
- Kunyuan Zou, Lambert High School (Forsyth County); coached by Chandra Farley, City of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability & Resilience
The honorees were selected by a 23-member selection committee made up of business leaders, 21CL board members, corporate volunteers, alumni and student peers.
As part of being selected, each student will receive a $500 grant from 21st Century Leaders, with one of the recipients also getting an added $1,000 grant from Warner Bros. Discovery, the media company that is a presenting sponsor for the award initiative.
Additionally, the chosen students will be commemorated during 21st Century Leaders’ annual “Be the Inspiration Gala” event, which is scheduled to take place March 21 at Zoo Atlanta.
21st Century Leaders said that the proceeds from the gala will go towards the organization’s leadership and talent development programs, which it offers at “little to no cost to students.”
Tickets for the gala event can be found on the 21st Century Leaders website.