One Sandy Creek High junior was selected to participate in the Model Atlanta Regional Commission’s youth leadership program.

Gianna Phan, a junior at Sandy Creek, was among 48 metro Atlanta students chosen to present innovative ideas on improving the metro Atlanta area to the Atlanta Regional Commission board.

MARC is a six-month leadership program which allows high school students to partner with other metro Atlanta students to study, debate and provide hands-on activities regarding regional issues and challenges. Each committee spends up to four hours each session researching and creating new ideas.

First year participant Phan was a member of the Community Services Committee where she and her team collected and researched ideas such as poverty, mentorship, senior living, etc.

After months of detailed research, Phan’s committee decided on two resolutions to improve metro Atlanta: Alternative Education and Adopt a Grandparent. Alternative Education would use technology, social media and career fairs to provide and connect both youth and young adults in the Atlanta community while Adopt a Grandparent would encourage multi-generational communities, through the pairing of older adults and high school students, to promote improved emotional and physical health.

Each committee member was assigned a specific role, Phan was responsible for researching the Alternative Education resolution as well as assembling the presentation.

Not only does MARC offer students the opportunity to earn up to 40 hours of community service, it is also a great way to learn about the metro Atlanta community, Phan says, “I decided to join ARC to improve my leadership skills and meet different individuals who had one common thing with me: living in the metro Atlanta area. I also wanted to learn about the many different aspects of the metro Atlanta area and make a difference within my community.”

As a person who has always wanted to reach out and help others, Phan has seen the importance of both resolutions, “Being a part of the Community Services committee helped me to expand my horizons and become more connected with people.”