This summer, communications major Naima McHardy ’21 secured a highly competitive internship with Leadership Atlanta, one of the oldest sustained community leadership programs in the nation.

Together with an expansive network of distinguished alumni, Leadership Atlanta connects and inspires a select group of leaders to strengthen metro Atlanta’s communities.

“I want to make a difference in my community… and I want to be a part of the difference Leadership Atlanta is making,” said McHardy, who learned of the internship through Oglethorpe’s Atlanta Laboratory for Learning. The A_LAB helps students in planning experiential, hands-on learning, like internships, study abroad, and civic engagement.

The core of Leadership Atlanta’s programming is a signature nine-month, executive-level series. Approximately 85 established leaders are chosen each year to represent a broad cross-section of metro Atlanta.Through retreats, full-day seminars, service projects, discussion groups and community tours, members explore critical community issues, examine themselves as leaders and build relationships of trust and mutual understanding.

In addition to her day-to-day work providing support for these programs, McHardy, who is an Achieve Atlanta scholar, also has the chance to network and meet leaders from throughout the Atlanta Metro community. Leadership Atlanta alumni represent diverse backgrounds, positions and interests and come from the business and corporate world, government, nonprofits and education.