Official Ribbon Cutting Celebration held in Prince George’s County, Maryland in honor of its Inaugural Class 2022-2023
(LANDOVER, MD – October 20) The 13th Man held it’s official ribbon-cutting celebration on Thursday, October 13th to kick off the official launch of The 13th Man Leadership Academy, located at 8181 Professional Drive, Suite 275, Landover, Maryland 20785 [link to event photos]
The 13th Man Leadership Academy is a 9-month professional development preparatory program which incorporates personal, professional, and leadership skill development focused on preparing young men for their career journey. Each student that matriculates in the Leadership Academy will receive a corporate summer internship. Access to corporate internships provides a foundation to prepare young leaders for their professional journey and to build a trajectory of professional success.
The ribbon-cutting celebration welcomed the academy’s inaugural class of students and their parents, program facilitators, and sponsors of the academy. “We are pleased to launch The 13th Man Leadership Academy and welcome this group of dynamic future leaders,” says Davon Kelly, Founder of The 13th Man [www.the13thman.org]. “The academy marks a wonderful milestone in our organization’s history that allows us to further our commitment to our area youth and their journey to becoming leaders of tomorrow.”
The 13th Man Leadership Academy is comprised of young men ages 13-18 who reside in Prince George’s County, and who have an expressed interest and commitment to their education and their growth as young men. The following individuals are among the 2022-2023 class: Diovionne Chittams, Sincere Allen, Justin James, Morgan Ford, Kimani Lawson, Myles Jenkins, Nathaniel Spears, Justin Porter, Aaron Williams, Antonio Clay Hardy, Dorien Williamson, Antwaune Rodgers, Niko Crumpler-Peoples, and Kenny Owona.
“I am an educator of 23 years and I know the importance of this. I know the investments that they have put into this program. My heart is always full of joy when I am in spaces with Mr. Kelly, Ms. Arrindell, and the entire staff. I simply just want to say thank you. I encourage all parents to bring their sons and other young men into the program.” – Philimena Owona, Parent of Kenny Owona.
The 13th Man Leadership Academy is supported by the generous contributions of the Jandt Foundation. “When I went to the Spring Classics I was blown away by the program,” says Darrin Davis, Board Member, Jandt Foundation, Inc. “I later went to the annual fundraising golf tournament and was amazed by the growth of the young men and how eloquently they spoke about the program and the impact on their lives. We, at the Jandt Foundation, see the continued progress of The 13th Man and we believe this is where we should invest. I am thrilled. Congratulations to this inaugural class. I want to see you all grow, see you successfully go through this program, and then, when you guys graduate, we want to see you all come back and give back.”
Applications for the 2023-2024 class will be available in May 2023.
For more information, please visit www.the13thmla.org.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The 13th Man, is a non-profit leadership development organization that empowers and transforms young men, ages 12-17, into the next generation of change makers. We offer year-round tutoring, mentoring, leadership development and enrichment engagements that are designed to lay the foundation for participants to achieve academic success and become well-rounded, active, and impactful leaders of their communities today and beyond. The 13th Man is headquartered in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with a chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are a registered 501c3 organization.
