Student Leadership Johns Creek Host Superior Court Judges Forum

JOHNS CREEK, GA — Secretary of State Ambassadors (Ann Philip, Yasmin Shalim, Ting Dong, Olivia Shaffer, Caelyn DeSouza, Lydia Grace Logan, Kian Kermani, Jayla Melvin and Omeed Kalan) representing Student Leadership Johns Creek hosted a Superior Court Judges Forum at Sankranti Indian Restaurant in Johns Creek. Of the twenty Fulton County Superior Court Judges, twelve were able to attend the event including Kimberly Adams, Chris Brasher, Rachelle Carnesale, Eric Dunaway, Belinda Edwards, Kelly Ellerbe, Kevin Farmer, Rachel Krause, Shawn LaGrua, Shukura Millender, Emily Richardson and Paige Whitaker. This was a unique opportunity for Johns Creek residents to learn more about the day-to-day workings of the judicial system in Fulton County. Those in attendance got a rare opportunity to speak with individual Superior Court Judges outside the courtroom.

According to long-time Johns Creek resident Robert Frame, “The forum was wonderful and very informative. And the young men and women in it are very impressive. Personally, while hovering around the political arena for years, the Court system, with what seems like a myriad of different courts, has been a bit of an enigma for me. However, last night cleared a lot of that up and, while I don't know how you did it, having virtually all the Superior Court judges there to share their comments and feeling with us was truly an awesome experience.”

All the judges in attendance candidly shared stories about how their journey to becoming a judge progressed, what some challenges they face in the courtroom daily are, and how proud they are by their work on the bench.

Judge Rachelle Carnesale a Johns Creek resident was appointed to the Superior Court recently by Governor Brian Kemp and allows many of the Student Leadership Johns Creek students interested in a career in law or politics to shadow her said, “I’m so proud of the Student Leadership Johns Creek students. They did an incredible job planning and executing this event. It is an honor to serve on the Superior Court of Fulton County and it was a real pleasure to show off our community to my colleagues on the bench.”

Student Leadership Johns Creek is part of Leadership Johns Creek, which has been a part of the city for over 11 years. Student Leadership Johns Creek is a decidedly competitive program that encompasses all four high schools in Johns Creek (Centennial, Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and Northview). Currently there are 100 students participating in the 2-year program. In the first year of the program, students work in groups to undertake and complete a community project. In this year the students also visit the Department of Revenue, the Fulton County jail, the Fulton County government building, the Judicial Department and the State Capitol.

In addition, the students spend a day with city officials learning more about how our city functions on a day-to-day basis. During the second year our students work more independently by creating an online portfolio including a resume, mission and vision statement, LinkedIn profiles, etc. and they shadow a professional in a field of study they are interested in pursuing in their future.

Graduates have gone on to attend such institutions as Harvard, Brown, Rice, Princeton, Georgia Tech, Stanford, West Point, University of Georgia and many other highly respected universities.

The Student Leadership Johns Creek Secretary of State Ambassadors consist of nine students who work in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s office to facilitate events to educate and encourage citizens to become more involved in local politics.

For more information, contact Irene Sanders Executive Director at sanders@leadershipjohnscreek.com, 404-406-0480 or visit www.studentleadershipjohnscreek.com.