a Decade
A decade. If we are lucky, we get 8 or 9 of them in a lifetime. 10 years. It can go by fast, but it’s not a small amount of time. To dedicate one’s life to something for a decade is a sacrifice.
In early 2016, I approached my principal at East Mecklenburg High School with an idea. Let me start a leadership development program, but with a catch. Students in honors classes would not be eligible. That March, I conducted interviews with a dozen or so freshmen and selected a handful. The LEAD Program was born. I couldn’t have told you where I was going with the idea. All I knew was that I had a gift for seeing untapped potential in young people, and that if I failed to act on that gift I was failing to embrace my calling.
Fast forward. It’s 2026. A decade later. In 2020, the pandemic led the LEAD Program to become LEAD Charlotte, its own non-profit organization. In 2024, restructuring led LEAD Charlotte to become LEAD Forward. 7 students graduated from LEAD in 2019, that first cohort of excited freshmen. Today, 55 students’ names are found on our Legacy Wall, and another 55 current high schoolers walk into the doors of our student center every week.
On March 21st, we will gather to celebrate 10 years of LEAD. Former students. Current students. Parents. Community members. Supporters.
And as the day approaches, I have been reflecting on this decade. I am an educator, not a businessman. The learning curve has been rough.
What is LEAD? What do we stand for? What are we trying to accomplish? What is our mission and our goals? And most importantly, how do we communicate these to our neighbors? To our city?
Many thousands of dollars of my own money have been spent trying to figure out the answer to these questions; countless hours given to program management, marketing, and organization. I have wanted to give up many times.
But I’m still here, 10 years later, and LEAD Forward is stronger than ever. The young men from East Charlotte who call LEAD home are positively impacting their community for good and brightening their own future. I could brag on the dozens of kids who receive free coaching through our sports camp. The dozens of East Charlotteans who get fresh cooked meals delivered to their homes once a week. The college acceptance letters. The small business which employs many of our students over the summer. The success of our graduates.
But if I’m going to spend another 10 years dedicated to LEAD Forward, it won’t be because the impact of our programming far exceeds our small budget, or because our metrics are good. You see, I don’t need our graduates to go to med school…although some are. I don’t need them to get their masters degree…although some are. I don’t need them to start companies that make millions…although some have. Because we also have graduates who work at Walmart, Amazon, and in construction.
No, I’m going to spend another 10 years dedicated to this program because the students who call LEAD home believe in our central message. That potential doesn’t depend on your zip code. That success and service can exist side by side. That listening is the most important leadership skill. That discipline and brotherhood are critical. And that good guys don’t have to finish last. Their commitment to these ideas inspires me every day.
I tell people I have a dream that in 30 years, people will say Charlotte is different. And they won’t be able to put their finger on it. And it will be because the thousands of young leaders who have come through LEAD Forward will have infiltrated every corner of this city. Every field. Every neighborhood. Innovating. Serving. A brotherhood of leaders. And the city will be better because of it.
We are 10 years into achieving that dream. We invite you to join us in celebrating what we have accomplished. But more importantly, we invite you to become a part of the movement. I’m just a teacher and these are just some kids from the East side. The odds were never in our favor. But that is the LEAD way. As a team we can have tremendous impact. There is always room at the table in LEAD. Join us as we LEAD Forward and LEAD Together.
