First Annual LINC Up Youth Conference (3/29/2026)

The day finally came! Our students put together and ran a wonderful conference for the students in Montgomery. Thanks to the hard work from our LINC Class, we had students from 12 different Montgomery high schools come together to network, connect, and learn how to be effective leaders.

Haley Hust (Saint James) and Kingston Nelson (MA) were our emcees for the event and did a great job bringing energy all afternoon. They kept us on task and on time so we could get everything done and still have time for the students to get to know each other. Lucas Snyder (Trinity) was our opening speaker and welcomed everyone to the LINC Up Conference and highlighted all the schools that were represented. Our main keynote speaker, Ashley Jernigan, then took the stage and did a phenomenal job in walking the students through a leadership development lesson. Next up was Damian who got the students up and moving as he taught about mental health and had the students create their own personal code. Finally, the last speakers were our leadership panel that answered questions from the group and from our panel moderator, Tyler Pugh (BTW). Our panel was comprised of Railyn Holt (Owner of Rai of Sunshine Bakery and a sophomore at Park Crossing), Austin Smith (Environmental Engineer in Montgomery), and Caleb Harrell (Tuskegee Football Team Captain and now Faulkner Law Student).

To end the day, Jason Moore (Brew Tech) gave an incredible closing speech as he cast a vision for the future of Montgomery and the continued impact of the LINC Up Youth Conference. The students got to continue talking and networking as they had dinner provided by Jason's Deli. This event was bigger than the students had even thought possible and will continue to grow in the years to come.

Montgomery's first youth-run and youth-focused leadership conference was an absolute success thanks to our incredible LINC students!

Thank you to the great local leaders who agreed to be a part of our panel (L to R: LINC Student and panel host Tyler Pugh, Railyn Holt, Austin Smith, and Caleb Harrell)

The students collaborating and working together on a project during the mental health session. The LINC class chose to intentionally sit students with people from other schools to facilitate connecting outside of just their circle.

Christian Hosea (Brew Tech) being interviewed by WAKA before the conference kicked off.

Damian teaching about mental health. This part was a game for students to hold up a green or red flag after hearing a scenario that may pop up in their dating lives... this spurred some great conversation with the group.