Middle Georgia Technical College

MGT''s Sam Waterman Attends Georgia Student Leadership Forum

Warner Robins - Sam Waterman of Barnesville, president of the Student Leadership Council at Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins, recently attended the Georgia Student Leadership Forum in Atlanta, an event designed to bring together future leaders to consider the true meaning of leadership.

Waterman, a full time student in the Aviation Maintenance Technology program, is active in many student organizations at MGTC, including the MGTC Ambassadors, Phi Beta Lambda, and Skills USA. Waterman was selected to participate in the program by Student Leadership Council Co-Advisor Debbie Price.

Waterman was one of 35 students, chosen from among thousands, to attend the Georgia Student Leadership Forum. He had the honor to network with state leaders and other student leaders from across Georgia.

The three-day event began at the Governor's Mansion where students met with the Georgia Chief Operating Officer, Jim Lientz. Saturday morning, students were able to participate in a community service project at MedShare, a volunteer organization that gathers more than $65 million worth of life-saving medical supplies and equipment from hundreds of hospitals and corporations and ships them all over the world to poverty-stricken areas. Waterman and other student leaders assisted with sorting and packing over 90 boxes of supplies and repair equipment to ship to Haiti.

Also on Saturday, the students toured Turner Studios and got to participate in a meet and greet with TNT's Inside the NBA host, Ernie Johnson. Saturday evening, students spent time at family homes around Atlanta for dinner and discussion. On Sunday morning, the students joined together for breakfast hosted by former Georgia Governor Joe Frank Harris and his wife Elizabeth.

The Georgia Student Leadership Forum exists to bring together future leaders to consider the true meaning of leadership. Student leaders from colleges and universities in Georgia come together with business, political, sports, performing arts, and community leaders to discuss the relevance of values and faith in professional and private life. The Forum encourages dialogue on various components of true leadership: serving, listening, reconciling division, building unity, and speaking truth.

The Georgia Student Leadership Forum is an outgrowth of the National Student Leadership Forum, which is hosted by the Vice President of the United States. Some of the students attending the Georgia conference will be invited to attend the National Conference. The 2010 Forum was the 15th year for the event.

Middle Georgia Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and offers over 100 associate degree, diploma, and certificate options for students. Day, evening, and online classes are available, as well as financial aid and job placement assistance. New student registration begins March 1 and Spring Quarter classes begin April 6. For more information, log on to www.middleGAtech.edu or call 478.988.6800.

Photo: Sam Waterman, left, sits with Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson at Turner Studios. Students attending the Georgia Student Leadership Forum received a tour of Turner Studios and heard a special message from Johnson.