On behalf of 21st Century Leaders, we are proud to announce that one of your Innovation Academy students, Sreepadha Daram, has been selected as one of Georgia’s top 21 outstanding youth leaders and is one of our 2025 Georgia Youth Leadership Award recipients! Sreepadha is also one of the Youth Ambassadors and is in Level 4 of Leadership Connect (in the 1^st ever cohort with the Goizueta Business School)

Our annual Georgia Youth Leadership Awards, which we’ve been awarding since 2008, recognize the leadership and impact of 21 high school students throughout Georgia – all of whom are members of our organization – who have made a significant impact in their schools, communities and beyond and who exemplify the five leadership qualities that truly embody a 21^st Century Leader: resilient, forward-thinking, inclusive, resourceful and service-oriented.

This year we received many outstanding nominations from across the state for this honor and all were highly competitive. The nominations were reviewed and scored by a 27-member selection committee of leaders from the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 under 40, business and industry leaders, 21CL Board of Directors, 21CL Alumni Board members, and 21CL Youth Ambassadors. Sreepadha and the 20 other award recipients will be recognized at our Be the Inspiration Gala, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery, taking place on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at Savanna Hall, Zoo Atlanta at 6pm. As part of their award experience, they will each receive a $500 grant (provided by gala sponsors) and have been paired with a community-serving business leader who serves as their mentor and coach.