The late football coach Vince Lombardi was famous for his wisdom. He once said, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
A local Duval County student, George Pratt, just got one step closer to his ultimate dream of becoming a United States Senator.
The Paxon School for Advanced Studies senior is one of two students statewide to be selected to participate in the 2019 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP).
As part of the program, Pratt will join Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott in representing Florida at the 57th annual USSYP Washington Week. Additionally, Pratt and his fellow cohorts will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.
Established in 1962, the mission of USSYP is to give students a deeper knowledge of the American political process and instill a lifelong commitment to public service.
Pratt said he was humbled when he learned he had been selected for the competitive program. He initially found out about the opportunity by browsing the United Negro College Fund website and later applied through the Florida Law Related Education Association.
“Words cannot express how grateful I am to be selected as one of the delegates to represent Florida,” said Pratt. “The program is of extreme importance to me because I am being granted the once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from the government’s leading officials and dialogue with like minded young persons from across the country.”
The senior class president and chair of the Rules and Bylaw Committee for the Jacksonville Mayor’s Young Leaders Advisory Council said he believes the USSYP will be life-altering and will invigorate his passion to effect positive changes in his community.
“I hope to integrate the knowledge gained from the program into the way in which I lead, as I position myself to a lifelong commitment of public service and attempt to make the world a better place,” said Pratt.
Talk about a young man with goals and plans, Pratt says that after graduating from high school he intends to double major in history and religion with a minor in Leadership Studies at Morehouse College. He then plans to clerk for a federal appellate judge, pass the bar, work for the United States Attorney’s Office, be ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and then ultimately run and be elected as a United States senator.
Pratt is the son of Rev. George and Marcia Pratt.
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