By Nathan Rawls
Teen Lift Takes Florida
At the beginning of the summer, I went on my very first college tour called Teen Lift. It was sponsored by the Broward County Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in partnership with Delta Education & Life Development Foundation, Inc. It was an unforgettable experience where we explored Bethune-Cookman, University of Central Florida, University of North Florida, Florida State University, FAMU, and University of Florida. Beyond checking out the awesome campuses, dorms, dining hall and athletic stadiums. The trip included great food and fun social activities, also, the college tour consisted of 42 students, 4 chaperones and plenty of snacks for the 3 days. It made me more prepared for college and I’m grateful for the opportunity and sponsors.
Teen Conference
Attending the 70th Annual Southeastern Regional Teen Leadership Conference for Jack & Jill of America was easily one of the best parts of my summer. It was my very first teen conference after being a member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale chapter of Jack and Jill. The energy was completely unmatched from the second it started, packed with super helpful leadership workshops and opportunities to talk directly with college representatives. A major highlight was getting to hear from amazing special guests like Mom Monique Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of Mielle, who shared her inspiring story of building the largest Black-owned hair care company from the ground up. But honestly, the absolute best part of the whole weekend was witnessing Black excellence firsthand at the teen level. It was so inspiring to see kids my own age step up, campaign with so much passion, deliver incredible speeches, and confidently run for regional leadership positions. Seeing everyone come together and take charge really showed me how powerful and driven our generation is, and it made me so excited to see what the future holds for all of us. Our Greater Fort Lauderdale received many accomplishments including my friend Dylan Ivory being selected as the Regional Teen Foundation chair and I even received 2nd place for the Division I Scholastic Achievement award. I’m already looking forward to next year’s SER Jack and Jill Teen Conference.
