One Fort Dale Academy (FDA) student was among a select group of high school sophomores from across the state participating in the 11th annual Alabama Capstone Leadership Academy in Tuscaloosa last week.

Mac Williamson was chosen by the Capstone Council to attend the two-day event, during which the 100-plus students selected for the program heard from guest speakers and participated in discussions revolving around the academy’s theme of value, vision, and voice.

“What I liked most was meeting new people and listening to the speakers,” said Williamson.

At FDA, candidates for the summit were nominated by their teachers and then voted on by the faculty. The faculty evaluated the class and asked the finalists to submit an essay, resume, and transcript to the Capstone Council.

The Capstone Council is a volunteer organization that consists of former University of Alabama campus leaders from the 1970s. Former SGA officers, Capstone Men and Women, the Office of the President, and Honors college all come together to host the event.

Based on merit, Williamson was selected to represent the sophomore class. Student Guidance Counselor Carol Teague said, “We are very proud of Mac and his achievements.” Currently, Williamson is a member of the Beta Club, Key Club, Echo community service club, and FACTS. He enjoys playing tennis for the FDA tennis team, and serves as the team manager for the football team.

For Williamson, the Leadership Academy made an impact on him as a student, leader, and citizen. Hearing from speakers such as Jessica Proctor, Miss Alabama 2017, to University of Alabama’s President Stuart Bell, the leadership academy shed some light on how to impact each school or community represented. Williamson explained, “We had discussions after each speaker. Each speaker spoke about a certain point, which was value, vision, and voice. After each one we went back with our group and discussed it. After that each group was asked to discuss it with the larger group.”

Learning many valuable lessons over the two-days, Williamson said, “I learned how to better socialize with people. I also learned how to pick out things in our society that need to be helped or improved and find ways to start organizations to do just that.”