JA Leadership Lexington Youth Program 2022-2023 Student Application

STUDENT APPLICATION

2025-2026
What is the Leadership Lexington Youth Program?

Our mission is to inspire and equip Lexington’s young leaders from diverse lived experiences with skills necessary to create a collaborative and empowered local and global community.

Through LLYP, students will interact with peers and community leaders, discuss issues facing our community and nation, and develop strategies for growing the next generation of leaders. The program is very active and requires much interaction among participants. We expect students involved to give 110%.
Program Activities:
- Team-building exercises
- Group and project-based learning
- Tours of local businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits
- Interaction with prominent local leaders
- Etiquette training
- Financial planning and career development
- Reflection
- Leadership challenges
Eligibility:

The JA Leadership Lexington Youth Program is open to all candidates who meet the following requirements:
- Student is a rising junior (11th-grade status as of August 2025)
- Student currently has a 3.0 GPA or higher (unweighted)
- Student lives and/or goes to school within the boundary of Fayette County
Application Components:

A complete application will include the following:
- Personal/Contact Info
- Student Background (bio, schools attended, extracurriculars)
- One (1) Essay
- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
Note: You will need to complete your form in ONE session. Information will not be saved. We advise you to view the questions on the next page, complete them in another document, and copy the answers over to this application once you have compiled all the required components.
LLYP Selection Schedule:
- Application Available: February 13, 2025
- Application Due: March 27, 2025
- Letters of Recommendation Due: March 27, 2025
- Application Review: April 2025
- Student Interviews: May 2025 - students will be contacted by Junior Achievement with the interview date and time
- Acceptance/regret letters sent out: June 2025
- Acceptance forms/tuition payment ($450) due: July 16, 2025
(Fee covers the cost of charter transportation, lunch and snacks throughout the program year, training and development, and graduation ceremony for students. Need-based scholarships available.)
ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Leadership Lexington Youth Program is a strict time commitment. With the honor and privilege of being selected into the program comes the responsibility to be on time and participate wholeheartedly.

Parent and Student Orientations are mandatory. One parent/guardian is required to attend the parent/guardian orientation.

Day sessions begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. and will run until 3:30 p.m. Excused absences will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted for approval with the following documentation:
- Parent or doctor's note
- Completed make-up assignment (outlined in the student handbook)
If a student is going to be absent or tardy, the LLYP Director (savannah@jalexington.org) should be notified immediately. The consequence of missing a session without proper documentation could be dismissal from the program.
2025-2026 Class Schedule:

(Tentative)

Parent Orientation:
- Parent/Guardian Orientation - August 27, 2025, 5:30pm
Day Sessions:
- Orientation Day - September 10, 2025
- Local Lex Day - October 15, 2025
- Government & Public Safety Day - November 12, 2025
- Arts & Media Day - December 10, 2025
- Health & Human Services Day - January 14, 2026
- Ambassador for Change Day - February 11, 2026
- Higher Education & Career Development Day - March 11, 2026
- Reflection & Graduation - April 15, 2026
TRANSPORTATION:

Parents/Guardians will be responsible for getting their student to the start location PROMPTLY at 8 a.m. At the end of the day, parents/guardians will be asked to pick up their child at 3:30 p.m. If a student participant has their driver’s license, they are welcome to drive to the session, however, there may be sessions where it is not possible for students to drive due to parking limitations. Parking instructions will be provided when necessary.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

Throughout the program:
1. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA (unweighted).
2. A high degree of professionalism is expected.
3. Students will adhere to the dress code below.
Dress Code: Students will be interacting with local leaders including city council members, judges, business owners, etc. For this reason, it is crucial that students “dress to impress” for each day session.

Unless otherwise notified, students will wear business casual attire. Examples of business attire are polo shirts and slacks or a blouse or sweater with a skirt or dress pants. Jeans, shorts, leggings, tennis shoes, and other casual attire are strictly prohibited. Skirts must be finger-tip length or longer. We recommend students wear comfortable shoes (flats or low heels) as the program does require movement and walking.

Please take all the requirements into consideration before applying to the program.
CLICK "NEXT" TO VIEW THE APPLICATION:

Application

Personal/Contact Information
Student Name:*

First NameLast Name
I go by... (if different than legal name above)
High School*
2022-2023 school year
My pronouns are:*
Race and/or Ethnicity:*
STUDENT CONTACT INFO:
Address*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Student Cell Number:*
Student School Email:*
for official LLYP communications
Student Personal Email:*
for alumni database
Name of Parent/Guardian:*
Parent/Guardian Email:*
Parent/Guardian Emergency Phone Number:*
Second Parent/Guardian (optional):
Second Parent/Guardian Email (optional):
Second Parent/Guardian Emergency Phone Number (optional):
How did you first hear about the JA Leadership Lexington Youth Program?
If "other" please specify:
BIOGRAPHY
Please write a brief bio (approx. 150 words) in the third person that explains who you are and any interests you have. This will be used in the class booklet if you are selected for the program. *
EDUCATION
Name and city of schools (K-12) and dates of attendance (from-to): *Please list any magnet programs you were/are involved in at school (ex. Pre-Engineering, SCAPA, IBIT Academy, MTSC, etc.)*
ex: SCAPA Lafayette (voice major) - Lexington, KY (2006-2010)
EXTRACURRICULARS
Please list up to five (5) activities you have been involved in during your high school career (school or non-school related). If you held a particular role or responsibility, please elaborate. This could include community service, part-time jobs, clubs, etc.*
Ex: band, choir, sports, community service, clubs, employment, religious/spiritual, etc.
Essay
What does leadership look like to you? Share an example of how you have been a leader thus far in your life and outline your aspirations for future leadership development. (300-500 words)*
Recommendation Letters
RECOMMENDATION LETTER GUIDELINES

Submission Requirements:
- Students will submit two (2) letters of recommendation.
- Recommendation letters must be submitted by March 14. Letters received past this date may be considered invalid
- Letters must be physically signed, on official letterhead (if possible), and include contact information for verification purposes.
- Letters must be uploaded in pdf format
- Please do not include letters from a relative. Appropriate recommenders include teachers, coaches, mentors, employers, spiritual leaders, community members, business professionals, etc.
Letter Guidelines:
- Address letters to the "LLYP Steering Committee".
- Recommenders should address the following topics when composing their letters:
  - How long have you known this applicant?
  - In what capacity have you interacted with the applicant?
  - What are the strengths and weaknesses of the applicant in terms of his/her community involvement and leadership potential?
  - What would you expect the applicant to contribute to the Leadership Lexington Youth Program?
  - Please provide an example of the student exhibiting one or more of the following traits:
    
    Cooperative Attitude
    
    Maturity
    
    Positive Attitude
    
    Sense of Community
    
    Leadership Potential
    
    Mutual Trust and Respect
    
    Conscientiousness
    
    Self-motivation
    
    Curiosity
Letters must be sent directly to the Savannah Combs, at savannah@jalexington.org with 'LLYP reference letter for [Student name]' as the subject
Recommendation Guidelines PDF (Printable)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Please provide the name and relationship to the applicant of each recommender below.

Please have your Letters of Reccomendations sent by email to savannah@lexington.org
1st Recommender Name*

First NameLast Name
Relationship to applicant:*
2nd Recommender Name*

First NameLast Name
Relationship to applicant: *
To graduate from the program, you must participate in eight (8) full-day sessions.

Each day session will last from 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Any exceptions to the schedule must be accompanied by a note from a parent/guardian in order to be excused.
Are you willing to make such a time commitment?*

Yes
Student E-Signature:*

Clear
Parent/Guardian E-Signature*

Clear
TUITION FEE

This program has a tuition fee of $450 due Friday, July 17th, 2025.

Information regarding the scholarship process

available upon acceptance.
Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass maintains a non-discriminatory policy as an equal opportunity organization to ensure that all participants are treated equally and fairly regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, disability, or national origin.
Presenting Sponsor
Should be Empty:

STUDENT APPLICATION

Application

STUDENT CONTACT INFO:

BIOGRAPHY

EDUCATION

EXTRACURRICULARS

Essay

Recommendation Letters

RECOMMENDATIONS

To graduate from the program, you must participate in eight (8) full-day sessions.

Presenting Sponsor