healthcare industry – 21st Century Leaders https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org Inspiring Youth to Lead Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:11:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/favicon-150x150.png healthcare industry – 21st Century Leaders https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org 32 32 Alumni Spotlight: Neha Chaparala https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/alumni-spotlight-neha-chaparala/ https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/alumni-spotlight-neha-chaparala/#respond Tue, 12 Aug 2025 17:18:17 +0000 https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/?p=12976

Name: Neha Chaparala
H.S. Grad Year: Class of 2019
High School: Alpharetta High School
College: University of Georgia 2022
Current Role: Enterprise Client Manager, Sequoia Consulting Group; 21CL Alumni Board

How has your career unfolded and how did participating in 21CL help prepare you for your next steps going to college, taking on a new leadership role in community/college and after?

My career has been nothing short of a roller coaster! I had dreamt of being a physician and pursuing a career in the medical field for as long as I could remember, however, that dream evolved with my participation in 21CL. When I became a 21st Century Leader, I was exposed to multiple different career paths that sparked new interests! It was while attending my first 21CL summer camp, the Summer Youth Leadership Institute (SYLI) in 2017, that I discovered my interest in business and in building relationships. This interest grew the more I continued to network with 21CL alumni and when attending college. At the end of my junior year at UGA, I realized that I wholeheartedly had interest in pursuing the intersection of business and healthcare. With the help of 21st Century Leaders, I was able to secure an internship as a Health Consulting Analyst at Mercer in the summer of 2022! Following this internship, I landed a full-time job at the firm’s NYC office as a Health Consulting Analyst. I worked at the firm for 2 years and recently switched to a firm called Sequoia Consulting Group to continue pursuing healthcare consulting. 

What’s your memorable or ‘aha’ moment during your time at 21CL? (Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peer, speaking in public for the first time, etc.)

The most memorable moment I had during my time at 21CL was definitely the day at 2017 SYLI that was focused on networking. I had always been a shy individual, afraid to ask questions and explore opportunities, however 21CL truly helped and guided me to become the most effective networking professional I could be! After attending that summer institute in 2017, I spent the rest of my summer reaching out to professionals on LinkedIn and other networking platforms to learn more about their profession and reach out for opportunities. I was able to take these experiences into the following summer at my second 21CL camp (EarthCare) where I showed up ready to learn even more! I am still very grateful for the leadership skills that I learned and that I continue to use in my career!

Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? If so, how? 

Absolutely, 21CL assisted me in developing a servant leadership style! I have been applying the servant leadership qualities since attending 21CL leadership institutes. I remember when I was still in high school and didn’t appreciate the importance of team-work, however, in learning servant leaderships qualities, I realized that I could only be an effective leader while ensuring that all my team members felt heard and included! 

I have also certainly made my own “tweaks” in the way I approach servant leadership over the years, however, I have always found that consistently ensuring that my team members and I are aligned on the same goal while equally feeling heard has made me an effective leader. 

Why do you believe programs like 21CL are important? And what advice would you give to a current or future student?

I believe that programs like 21CL help students  to get appropriate exposure to different career opportunities and acquire great leadership skills. I have noticed that a lot of students are limited in their perception of career choices and often find themselves stuck between choices that they are not truly passionate about. With the wide range of education and alumni networking that 21CL provides, so many students across GA can gain insight into how many different paths they can take after high school and beyond! Additionally, even in my current career, I find myself using 21CL techniques whether it comes to public speaking or working with different styles of people! I would tell any current or future 21CL student to truly go “all-in” into the program. It’s truly such a privilege to have access to such a robust and accessible program. I am always so proud to be a 21CL alumna! 

]]> https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/alumni-spotlight-neha-chaparala/feed/ 0 21st Century Leaders Launches 4th Summer Leadership Institute https://www.21stcenturyleaders.org/21st-century-leaders-launches-4th-summer-leadership-institute/ Wed, 05 Feb 2020 22:14:31 +0000 https://staging.21stcenturyleaders.org/21st-century-leaders-launches-4th-summer-leadership-institute/ 21st Century Leaders Announces 4th Summer Program Focused on Leadership within the Healthcare Industry

Piedmont Healthcare commits to 2 years of funding

ATLANTA – February 5, 2020 21st Century Leaders (21CL) announced today the launch of a fourth summer leadership institute as it starts its fourth decade of service to the state of Georgia. The launch of this new program is made possible from the support of corporate partners and individual donors thus far. 21CL is a non-profit organization that connects, transforms, and inspires high school students across Georgia to leverage diversity, explore career opportunities, and become leaders in their schools, communities, and ultimately the workforce.

21CL’s one-week residential summer leadership institute, Healthcare & IT Institute, will be held for 50 Georgia high school students from July 12, 2020 through July 17, 2020 on the campus of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. 21st Century Leaders is proud to have the following corporate partners, thus far, supporting the launch of this program: Attento Counseling, Piedmont Healthcare, AllHealth CHOICE, and Meadows Regional Medical Center.

“We’re always finding ways to serve and reach more students across the state of Georgia, diversify our career exploration opportunities, and identify the needs within our state,” said Kate Hewitt, executive director of 21st Century Leaders. “Healthcare is one of Georgia’s leading industry sectors and it’s critical that we’re exposing students to all of the career pathways available to them, and to develop a diverse pipeline of talent and leaders to create change and impact in this industry.”

Dr. Jyoti Sharma, Cardiologist, Medical Director of Women’s Heart Program, and Medical Director of Advanced Practice Providers at Piedmont Healthcare says she’s proud of Piedmont for not only stepping forward as the first corporate sponsor to support 21st Century Leaders as they launch their inaugural Healthcare & IT Institute, but also for committing two years of funding.

“Piedmont’s core promise ‘to make a positive difference in every life we touch’ applies not only to our patients, employees, and co-workers, but also to high school students across the state of Georgia.  Service to our community is at the heart of all that we do we and we hope that exposure to our institution and our values will inspire these students to become the next generation of healthcare leaders,” said Dr. Sharma. 

21st Century Leaders established a Healthcare Steering Committee led by industry professionals in summer 2019 to help launch and implement the week-long institute.  The 14 member committee, three of whom are 21st Century Leaders Alumni, is comprised of Machelle Baisden of Grady Hospital, Ray Cross of AllHealth CHOICE, Marie Cameron of Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Dr. Jacque-Corey Cormier of Georgia State University’s School of Public Health (21CL Alumnus), Ralph Donaldson of WiseThink Health Solutions, Dr. Shaneeta Johnson of Morehouse School of Medicine, Jesse Lindsely of Thrust Interactive. Amanda Mewborn of Navicent Health, James Nixon of Meadows Regional Medical Center (21CL Alumnus), Shane Owens of Thrust Interactive, Rhett Partin, Georgia Hospital Association, Dr. Jyoti Sharma, Piedmont Healthcare (21CL Alumna), Melissa Tymchuk of Northeast Georgia Health System, and Stephen Vault of WellStar.

21st Century Leaders is still accepting corporate partners and donations to help support this program launch and to eliminate as much financial cost to students. To learn more and get involved, please contact 21CL’s Executive Director directly at kate@21stcenturyleaders.org or 404-373-7441.

About 21CL’s Healthcare & IT Institute (HII)
Healthcare/IT Institute (HII) is a week-long dynamic and healthcare-focused leadership development program held the second week of July at Kennesaw State University. Each day of HII, students will develop their leadership skills while exploring different facets of the growing healthcare and healthcare IT business world through hands-on workshops with passionate professionals, networking opportunities and corporate tours. Students will reside in the dorms on the college campus for the 6-day, overnight program. All rising sophomore, junior, or senior Georgia high school students are eligible to apply. An online application and recommendation form must be submitted by March 1, 2020 in order to be considered for an interview and selection.

HII is just one of three summer leadership institutes 21st Century Leaders provides. 21st Century Leaders also partners with WarnerMedia for it’s Youth Media Institute, Georgia Power Foundation for it’s EarthCare institute, and multiple companies, including Coca-Cola Company, for it’s SYLI program at Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

About 21st Century Leaders
Since inception in 1989, 21st Century Leaders has served more than 14,000 diverse high school students from over 250 Georgia high schools. 21st Century Leaders is a non-profit organization that connects, transforms, and inspires high school students across Georgia to leverage diversity, explore career opportunities, and become leaders in their school, community, and ultimately the workforce. 21st Century Leaders launched it’s first summer residential program in 1991, and now provides year-round leadership development and career exploration programs, including leadership summits, an online learning platform, and school-based clubs. For more information about 21st Century Leaders, visit www.21stcenturyleaders.org.

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Media Contact:
Kate Hewitt
Executive Director, 21st Century Leaders
kate@21stcenturyleaders.org
404-373-7441

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