Students from across Selma and Dallas County met Tuesday to learn more about each other and develop leadership skills as a part of Leadership-Selma Dallas County.

For the 17th class to go through the program, participants are gearing up for a full year of learning more about Selma and Dallas County through a number of sessions. Beth Taylor, director of the program, said she expects this class of students to not only have a great year, but take what they learn through the program and apply it at their schools.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to get excited about the program and we’re getting ready for a great year,” Taylor said, noting that 26 students comprise class XVII. “We want them to be proud of their community and see what’s going on.”

Saturday, students will go on a special retreat for team bonding. Taylor said one of the many purposes of Leadership is to build connections between students who would have never known each other otherwise. Several high schools are represented in class XVII including Morgan Academy, Selma High School, Dallas County High School, Meadowview Christian Academy and Ellwood Christian Academy.

Alicia Deoss, a past participant in the program and current team leader, said through getting involved in Leadership, she developed a valuable set of skills that will aide her in beginning her college journey.

“Leadership is about getting to know yourself and your community and meeting new people,” Deoss said while students participated in an icebreaker exercise. “You learn about your city and state as a whole, and you also make a lot of great friends from other high schools.”

Deoss, a current senior at Selma High, plans to attend Auburn and major in pre-pharmacy.

Another great component of the program, Taylor said, is its college application preparation. Both admission officers from Concordia College Alabama and Wallace Community College Selma will go through the application process, and give tips for presenting the best possible image to an admissions committee.

“These are juniors from different schools and they’ll be applying for college soon,” Taylor explained. “This will give them the skills they need to succeed and go through that process smoothly.”