Chairwoman Nicole Love-Hendrickson Brought Keynote Address.
Photo: Pictured to the right are three interns from the City of Lawrenceville Community Relations Department - Aissata Hann, Nicole Egwuatu, and Rahima Coulibaly.
The City of Lawrenceville and Impact 46 hosted an end-of-summer celebration for the Summer of Impact student interns at the Lawrenceville Arts Center. Twenty-nine student interns participated in the eight-week summer internship program and were recognized before an audience of Lawrenceville business leaders, community leaders, family and friends.
Mayor David Still gave the welcome and Chairwoman Nicole Love-Hendrickson brought the keynote address, offering the students an inspirational message to seek the fight within themselves for future success.
“Fighting physically isn’t synonymous with fighting internally and I wanted to make sure our young people understood that,” said Hendrickson. “When society wants to count them out, when stigmas try to discredit their self-worth; what will push them forward is the internal fight and God-given grit to unapologetically reach their goals.”
A total of 60 students applied for the program from Discovery and Central Gwinnett High Schools. After completing a multi-step interview process, the final 29 students were selected and offered positions with the City of Lawrenceville Community Relations, Planning & Development, and Public Works Departments, Impact 46/Lawrenceville Response Center, Gwinnett Stripers, Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville Housing Authority/Gwinnett Housing Corporation, Gwinnett Water Resources, Obria, Magnolia Media, Family Promise, Upper 90, Lilburn Medical Institute, Noceans Media, AREP, Lawrenceville First United Methodist Church, Legacy Florals, Artist Spotlight, Gwinnett Drugs, Rock Paper Scissors, Kumon, and I & I Law.
“I had the opportunity to work with these students on numerous occasions over the summer and could not be more impressed with their ideas and projects,” said Mayor David Still. “They are the future of Lawrenceville. I am proud that we not only offer a program like Summer of Impact, but that we also created it in partnership with Impact 46.”
Summer of Impact is a collaborative initiative to help high school students discover their God-given purpose, passion and influence thru paid internships with local businesses. It leverages the eight weeks of summer to impact the six sectors of Lawrenceville—local businesses, government, schools, neighborhoods, churches and non-profits—by providing enrichment and leadership engagement opportunities for youth. Leadership development training will be offered through Impact 46. View the Summer of Impact Community Impact Statement Video produced by student interns here.
In January 2022, the City of Lawrenceville was named a Visionary City by the Georgia Municipal Association based on its partnership in the creation and establishment of this program in 2018.
For additional information about Summer of Impact, visit summerofimpact.com. For additional information about the City of Lawrenceville, visit lawrencevillega.org or follow the city’s social media platforms.
Interns, city leadership, parents, special guests, and participating businesses celebrate following the July 27th end-of-summer event.