Eva M. Clayton: “I am pleased to inform the House about an exciting and successful event that I sponsored in Ayden, NC, Saturday, October…”

“I am pleased to inform the House about an exciting and successful event that I sponsored in Ayden, NC, Saturday, October 18. This event, called Youth Summit '97, is an annual event for students that I have sponsored for the last 5 years. Each year, I am particularly pleased that the turnout is equal or greater than the one the previous year. This year's summit brought together an impressive number of youth; over 600 participated. It was certainly an inspiration to see so many students expressing their interests in pursuing an education. Most of the youth were minority students throughout eastern North Carolina. Many came with school or church groups, while others came with their parents. The youth summit was held this year in Pitt County at a local school called Ayden-Grifton High School. Over the past several years, I have sponsored the event in different counties exposing students throughout North Carolina to the seminar. The youth summit is designed to expose children to educational opportunities afforded to them, to reaffirm the importance of their skills and competency development, to alert the children to explore all job and career options they have, and to remind and to encourage students that they should pursue their goals to their utmost ability. The summit also prepares students about the entire process of applying to colleges, from testing procedures to the availability of financial aid.”