One Brookhaven Academy junior will travel to Oxford this summer to attend the month-long Trent Lott Leadership Institute.

Whitney Moak is one of 40 students statewide selected to visit the University of Mississippi for the program. More than 1,400 students from schools state-wide answered questions and submitted an essay to be considered for the program.

The Trent Lott Summer Leadership Institute for high school students is a partnership between the University of Mississippi’s Lott Leadership Institute and the Division of Outreach’s Summer College for High School Students.

The goals of the program are to develop leadership skills in young citizens and prepare them for college. In order to achieve these goals, the Summer Leadership Institute brings together student leaders to earn college credit on the Oxford campus to begin the study of leadership.

“I’m definitely looking forward to the experience of being on the Ole Miss campus and being able to meet so many new people,” Moak said. “I am a little nervous, but also thrilled and honored. Once I talked to some close friends and family members who have been in the past, my nerves went away, and I definitely feel more confident about it all.”

The students will take Political Science 101, Introduction to American Politics (which will investigate political procedures, electoral processes and political institutions), Speech 102, Fundamentals of Public Speaking (where they will learn to organize, prepare and deliver speeches in a variety of public forums).

They will also visit Washington D.C. for firsthand experience. For example, they will learn how laws are made and how public policy is created and – related to Moak’s essay topic – the current state and future impact of healthcare in Mississippi.

“D.C. is what I am looking forward to because I heard the experience is something like no other and you really get to go behind the scenes a little more,” Moak said. “I am definitely ready for this experience.”

Her father, Dr. Ed Moak, is excited for the opportunities this could provide for Whitney.

“The [Lott Institute] is really a very useful experience for goal setting students that have aspirations of being leaders in their chosen field,” he said.  “Rising high school seniors that aspire to be CPAs, lawyers, educators and even physicians will be asked to play a role in leadership during the program.”

Brookhaven Academy students are no stranger to the Lott Institute. Five BA alumni have attended: Becca Harvey in 2014, Anna Moak, Garrett Jackson and Lauren Smith in 2005 and Samuel Moak in 2003.

Harvey, a 2015 BA graduate, also agreed the trip to Washington D.C. was the highlight of the trip.

“The college-style lectures at Ole Miss really helped me learn to form my notes and learn how to study better by outlining my notes,” Harvey said. “I could not take the same trip now to D.C. with another group and have the same experience because the Lott Institute is so connected there. We met current and former senators and many other politicians.”

Despite the experience, Harvey did not feel led to study public policy and will instead study accounting at Ole Miss this fall. The Lott Institute experience helped her decide which major she wanted to focus on.

For Jackson, the Lott Institute confirmed in him a desire to work in politics. It ultimately led to Jackson serving as a personal aide to Mitt Romney during the Massachusetts governor’s run for president in 2012.

“It was a summer that I will always cherish and one that helped prepare me for future experiences in politics,” said Jackson, now an analyst with SCF Partners in Houston, Texas.  “I learned a lot and made lifelong friends in the process. As a high school student, it really allowed me to get a heads up on what the college experience was truly like and also exposed me to statewide and national political figures. After the program, I confirmed to myself that I wanted to study politics and public policy in college.”

Jackson became the first graduate at Ole Miss with a degree from the Lott Institute of Public Policy.

“Had it not been for my summer at the Lott Institute, I would have never gone down that path,” Jackson said.

For more information about the Lott Leadership Institute, visit http://lottinst.olemiss.edu/