Skip to main content

Columbia Business Monthly

SC High School Students Selected for Riley Institute Leadership Program

The Riley Institute at Furman University has announced its 2019-2020 class of Emerging Public Leaders (EPL). Launched in 2002 by the Riley Institute, EPL is an intensive, statewide service-oriented leadership program for rising high school seniors.

EPL has accepted 18 rising high school seniors from across South Carolina for its 17th class, bringing the total number of students who have participated in the program to 260.

The 2019-20 Riley Institute Emerging Public Leaders are:

Rund Abdelnabi

Greenville Tech Charter High School

Piedmont

 

Ashley Anderson

Academic Magnet High School

Mt. Pleasant

 

Sophie Anderson

Greenville High School

Greenville

 

Mackenzie Brady

Ashley Hall

Charleston

 

Hunter Bridges

Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School

Bamberg

 

Douglas Culclasure

Wade Hampton Fine Arts Center

Greenville

 

Faith Eberflus

River Bluff High School

Lexington

 

Vee Edlund

Oakbrook Prep

Spartanburg

 

Natalie Geiger

Next High School

Greenville

 

Nayha Hussain

Riverside High School

Greer

 

Ellis McLarty

Wade Hampton Fine Arts Center

Greenville

 

Ariel Meriwether

Strom Thurmond High School

Johnston

 

Jennifer Nguyen

Socastee High School

Myrtle Beach

 

Madison Pollock

Dutch Fork High School

Irmo

 

Robert Runnion

JL Mann High School

Greenville

 

Dustin Tant

York Prep Academy

Rock Hill

 

Ellie Toler

Spartanburg Day School

Spartanburg

 

Alecia Williams

Barnwell High School

Barnwell


Students will convene June 16-20 on the Furman campus, where they will investigate topics such as engaging in the community, analyzing critical issues, practicing ethical leadership, developing communication and presentation skills, and planning for the implementation of a service project. Thanks to generous sponsors including State Farm, Spinx, Walmart, and the Riley Institute, students attend EPL free of charge.

Following the summer, students work with Riley Institute staff, school officials, and residents in their communities to further develop their service project ideas and implement projects that address diversity and specific needs in their communities.

The students return to campus the following spring to present their community service projects to a panel of judges, and the winning project receives funds for program expansion or replication.