Fifteen cadets from Daleville High School JROTC, accompanied by Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Petty, attended the Alabama Joint Leadership Development Conference (AJLDC) in Birmingham on Dec. 9 and 10.
With nearly 5,000 students, educators, industry leaders, administrators and counselors in attendance, the AJLDC is the largest non-athletic joint gathering of students in the south- eastern United States for an educational purpose. This year’s theme was “Unleash Your Inner Champion.” The speakers were Chase Padgett, musician, actor, writer and improviser; Jessie Funk, certified life coach; and Svet Radoslavof, violinist, dancer and cancer survivor.
“This year Alabama Joint Leadership Development Conference was great,” Sgt. Maj. Petty said. “Unfortunately, new state members haven’t been selected yet the process is still on going but we do have two candidates applying to be state officers.”
The cadets learned about JROTC, leadership, self-improvement and many other life skills while at the conference.
“JLDC was a nice experience. It was my first year going and I learned so much more about JROTC and the role our state representatives play,” Cadet Private First Class Uasia Threatt said.
“Coming to JLDC made me realize a lot about myself,” Cadet Private First Class Hunter Tucker said. “I liked seeing the people on the stage exhibiting confidence as they spoke to the crowd. I loved meeting new people.”
“JLCD was a cool and fun experience to have. I got to learn how to better myself in leadership while playing fun games that made us interact with other cadets of different services,” Cadet Corporal Xyla Tucker said.
“It was fun at JLDC, the staff was great and the food was awesome,” Cadet Private First Class Mark Nimnuan said.
“It was a great first experience for me,” Cadet Corporal Jose Jimenez said. “I was able to learn a lot especially from the guest speaker, Jessica Funk. She spoke about having confidence in yourself and surrounding yourself with positive support and most important ... setting boundaries.”
Sgt. Maj. Petty said the experience was very beneficial for the students. He looks forward to more experiences that broaden the horizons of the students.