Program Overview
The purpose of the Lakeside Leadership Program is to connect young, growth-minded individuals with knowledgeable community members in their fields of interest and to provide the opportunity for growth in both their personal and professional lives. The program will be structured by matching each young adult with a mentor to meet for an hour once per week, based on their agreed-upon availability, required readings, and nine hours of panels and discussions between June 9-27, 2025.
Student Applications
The Lakeside Leadership Program recruits young people interested in personal and professional development this summer. All interested interns, summer workers, locals or vacationers are encouraged to apply. Student participants must be rising high school seniors to recent college graduates and be present at Lakeside for the full three weeks, June 9-27, 2025.
Mentor and/or Panelist Applications
The Lakeside Leadership Program recruits community members who value investing in young adults through either being a mentor or speaking on a panel about leadership (or both).
Being a mentor entails weekly hour-long meetings with your assigned student at a mutually agreed-upon time. Ideally, the mentor-student relationship will continue throughout the remainder of the summer.
The Lakeside Leadership Program also seeks panel speakers who can commit to a two-hour session to share insights with the cohort. Panelists will have the opportunity to speak on either The WHAT of Business & Leadership (focusing on action-oriented skills, such as emotional intelligence, resilience and vision) or The HOW of Business & Leadership (focusing on competencies and traits such as team management, problem-solving and communication). Your experience in these areas will provide invaluable guidance to the student participants as they grow in their leadership abilities.
Meet Eli Honeycutt, Lakeside Leadership Program Facilitator
I’m Eli Honeycutt, the creator and facilitator of the three-week Lakeside Leadership Program. I’m a rising senior studying business and entrepreneurship at Covenant College. During my time at Covenant, I’ve been blessed to be part of the men’s soccer program, contributing to two conference championships and learning the value of teamwork and leadership. I’m a fifth-generation Lakesider who has spent my childhood growing up in the community.
Participating in a leadership development gap year three years ago helped me realize the great potential the Lakeside community has to help develop young adult Lakesiders. Over the past year, I’ve worked closely with members of the Lakeside Team to establish this opportunity for Lakesiders. I’m excited to be part of this program and develop personally as I help facilitate the program this summer. Outside of the summer, I look forward to playing pickleball with friends.
If you have recommendations for those interested in participating in the program as a student, mentor or panel speaker, or if you have questions about the program, email me at [email protected].
