Meet the 2026-2027 Year One Leadership Fellow Cohort

ezavala747
May 20
11 min read

IZZY BATTS

Hi, my name is Isabella Batts, and I go by Izzy for short! I have been a varsity basketball captain and served as the Commissioner of Sports on the board of my school’s Associated Student Body. Athletics have played a major role in my growth. As a varsity basketball captain, I have developed leadership, communication, and teamwork skills while learning how to motivate and support those around me. I also participated in track and field, where I further strengthened my ability to adapt, collaborate, and build friendships in new environments.

I am passionate about pursuing opportunities that encourage growth, leadership, and new experiences. One of my most memorable experiences was winning the Girls Basketball D2 LA City Championship and celebrating with my teammates afterwards. With my passion for athletics and managing my school’s athletic social media page, I found my passion in marketing.

Beyond academics and athletics, I am passionate about learning from new experiences, and exploring opportunities, such as traveling to new places and trying new things that will allow me to make a positive impact in my community. My experiences have inspired me to continue seeking leadership opportunities in college while building strong relationships with peers, professors, and mentors.

As I prepare for the next chapter of my educational journey, I’m looking forward to pursuing Business Administration at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where I can continue growing academically and personally while pursuing opportunities that allow me to continue my passions for athletics and marketing.

JONAH DEW

Hello! I’m Jonah Dew, and I’m huge into weightlifting. My brother got me in the gym during my sophomore year, and I just fell in love with it. Working out gives me a place to give all that have to become better, while also being a great place to meet new people.

I’m a pastor’s kid, and have always been worshipping at First Christian Church El Reno. My favorite thing to do with my church is to go on mission trips. Being able to bring my skills to help people outside of my town is awesome.

I plan to go into mechanical engineering at Oklahoma State University. I’ve always loved solving problems and working with my hands, so it seems like a perfect fit. I hope that my life’s work can be helping others as much as I can.

ABBIE DEWEESE

Hi, my name is Abbie Deweese and I am an incoming freshman at the University of Kentucky and am majoring in linguistics on the pre-law track. After college I would like to get a dual JD and MDiv and would eventually like to become ordained while also practicing law. I also plan to participate in choir and policy debate at UK. In my spare time I love to read fantasy books, work out and experience live music. I am also a life long member of the DOC and am excited to find my new home church in Lexington. I also try to be very civically engaged and participate in social justice work often. Overall, I am really excited about the future and whatever is in store for me over the next four years.

ETHAN EARLEY

I am Ethan Earley, an incoming first-year student at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. I am very active in my community as an Eagle Scout, Regional Representative (RYMC) for the Christian Church in the Southwest, and an active member, diaconate, and musician at First Christian Church (FCC) in Wichita Falls, Texas. I am working towards a major in marketing with a minor in music and aim to attend Brite Divinity School before beginning a career in ministry. In my spare time, I like to work on my cars, learn or write music, and play tennis.

My community experience and connection began through scouting, then grew to include school programs, and now centers around my faith. As a born-and-raised scout, I have been involved in community events and service as long as I can remember. From developing my leadership skills through opportunities at Jamboree and Philmont to giving me opportunities like my Eagle project to realize just how impactful a person's influence on their community can be, Scouts really served as the first foundation that showed me who I am. I have also been involved in service outside of scouting through educational programs like Key Club and PALS. I have gotten involved in other aspects of my local community as well, but the experiences and connections that have been most crucial to me and my goals have centered around my faith. I grew up at FCC in Wichita Falls and quickly became involved in the camping programs at Lake Brownwood Christian Retreat and Disciples Crossing. At Disciples Crossing, I joined the Youth Ministry Council and the Regional Youth Ministry Council (RYMC). As an RYMC, I got to plan camps and leadership seminars for Disciples of Christ Youth and see the impacts that supporting and inspiring the next generation of leaders can have.

My biggest goal is to inspire youth and teach them how to use their gifts, talents, faith, and interests to create a strong, positive influence in everything they do. This is why I am going into ministry; I want to create opportunities for youth to develop their own influence by sharing their gifts to diversify worship, while building welcoming, supportive, and faithful environments.

TAE GARRARD

Taeshawn Garrard is looking forward to attending Transylvania University, where he plans to pursue a double major in engineering and psychology, combining his passion for technical innovation with a desire to better understand and serve people and communities. He is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, and is preparing to graduate from Carter G. Woodson Academy. His academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to service have distinguished him as a remarkable young scholar. Taeshawn has demonstrated a strong dedication to both academic achievement and personal growth. As a dedicated student-athlete, Taeshawn competed in track and field at Frederick Douglass High School, where he developed discipline, resilience, and leadership through teamwork and competition. His experiences as Team Captain strengthened his ability to lead by example, persevere through challenges, and encourage others to reach their fullest potential. He looks forward to continuing his running career in college. Beyond academics and athletics, Taeshawn has distinguished himself through exceptional leadership and community involvement. He has served in student leadership roles, contributed to media arts initiatives, and taken on meaningful responsibilities within his church community. As a leader at his local church camp and an active participant in regional youth leadership programs within his denomination, he has shown a deep commitment to mentoring younger students and guiding his peers with integrity, compassion, and faith. Taeshawn’s dedication to service is evident through his volunteer work both locally and beyond. He has participated in mission trips and rebuilding efforts in Hazard, Kentucky, providing support to communities in need, and is preparing for an upcoming mission trip to Costa Rica. He also volunteers at an annual meal-packing event that provides food to children in underserved communities around the world. Through his involvement in mentorship and leadership development programs such as the Black Male Working Academy, he continues to grow as a servant leader committed to uplifting others. He is currently participating in the 2026 cohort of the Youth Leadership Symposium through Higher Education and Leadership Ministries (HELM) and has been accepted as a Phillips Legacy Scholar through the Phillips University Legacy Foundation. Deeply rooted in his community, Taeshawn aspires to use his education, leadership, and service experiences to create meaningful change. By blending the technical problem-solving side of engineering with the human-centered insight of psychology, he hopes to develop innovative solutions that improve lives and leave a lasting, positive impact on the community he proudly calls home.

EMILY HILL

Emily Hill is currently a senior at Northwood High School, located in Irvine, Southern California. Although she loves the beach, sunsets, and exploring Orange County and LA, she is a native of Maryland, where she grew up in the College Park area for ten years. She is involved in many aspects of her community, such as her school's dance team, ASB, speech and debate team, local government internships, legislation programs, college-level lab work, Asian-American Literature project, Korean cultural drums organization, and being a church youth leader. She loves leadership opportunities and putting herself out there as she campaigned and successfully won the spot of Student Forum President on ASB her senior year, along with previous participation in class councils from sophomore to junior year. As a dancer on her dance theater team, she showcased the beauty of choreography, artistry, and movement throughout all four years of high school. She loves to choreograph group pieces, perform dances, and, most of all, loves her favorite style of dance: ballet, in which she started at age 4. As a pastor's kid, she has been involved in the church since birth and loves attending church camps, general assemblies, and NAPAD conferences. She has made some of her closest friendships through church, and truly sees God’s work being done in both the local and national levels as a Disciple of Christ/United Church of Christ member. She hopes to continue to meet up with these friends every couple of years at either the General Assembly or the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD) conferences. In her free time, she loves to read, watch a lot of movies/TV shows, dance, do arts & crafts, edit/film videos, hang out with friends, go to the beach, do her nails, travel, and try new foods. She plans to pursue a future in Public Health while majoring in Public Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine, where she can continue her interests and begin her career in hopes to go into Pre-Health Law. Having the opportunity to participate in many activities and expand her interests has truly taught her the importance of leadership, trust, and most of all, hope, for a future where everyone is equally represented and loved.

CAM MCDONALD

My name is Campbell McDonald and I am graduating from Burleson Centennial High School this year. I plan to attend Texas Christian University (TCU) in the fall and I will major in Sports Broadcasting. I go to University Christian Church (UCC) in Fort Worth, TX and have been a lifelong Disciple. I enjoy watching and playing sports, hanging out with friends, going to church, sporting events and love meeting new people!

ESTHER OLADAPO

My name is Esther Oladapo and I am an up-coming freshman for University of Maryland College Park! My major is currently biomedical engineering with a planned minor in math. I want to pursue a biomedical engineering major because I am passionate about the subjects it brings together. Biomedical engineering is this fascinating combination of chemical engineering, biology, mechanical engineering, math, and technological knowledge. Seeing as I love all those subjects, deciding my major was easy. In addition, its relevance to medicine, which I intend to pursue as a career, is enlightening.

I have centered my academic career around this interest: taking advantage of my school’s opportunities to access higher level courses such as the AP BC calculus, AP statistics, AP chemistry, AP biology, AP java, and several others. Additionally, I participate in related extracurricular activities, the most notable being hospital volunteering, being a member of a rescue squad, and my school’s Honors Society.

While I do dedicate myself to my studies, I pour a lot of time and effort into things non-academically related. In particular, I continuously spend several hours per week towards increasing my artistic abilities. Sketches, full blown illustrations, and animations are things I typically develop every week. Similarly, I spend a lot of time practicing the piano and expanding my musical skills.These passions involve a lot of dedication and require countless hours of practice to improve: which is why I must maintain a careful balance between my academic schedule, extracurriculars, and hobbies.

A personal project I have worked on and completed is my Lazarus Leaders Fellowship website. The Lazarus Leaders Fellowship program is one focused on allowing students to become better, more understanding, future leaders. Hence why, the participating students are handed the mantle to create their own personal projects (which is meant to aid their community). My project focused on teaching my local community first aid basics. I created a website which taught the most effective ways to respond to a life threatening emergency. My local church aided me in the distribution of my site, which I am heavily grateful for!

I am currently the Co-head Treasurer for one of my school’s dance teams, a member of the Math Honors society, and a part of my school’s Science Olympiad team (though the season has ended). My current project is creating a jazz band: collaborating with my friends to make a brand, finding places in which we could perform at, and designing a logo. It’s both fun and educational- I get to spend more time doing one of my favorite hobbies and I am learning about interacting with businesses, planning events, and budgeting.

LILA TUELL

In school, I spend a lot of my time in the newsroom editing and designing the papers for my school's publication. This past year I served as the Editor in Chief and I won three student journalist awards through the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. Additionally, I enjoy doing independent projects using my graphic design skills such as digital scrapbooks and photo collages. I am currently working on designing my last pages for the paper and training next year's editors, which is so surreal after spending so many years on staff.

Besides designing, I also enjoy competing in color guard competitions. In the fall, I competed with my high school’s marching band, and we placed 8th in the state overall. From winter to spring, I competed with my independent winter guard team through the Michigan Color Guard Circuit, placing 5th in our division at State Finals in March. I am so proud of both teams, and I’m so glad I got to spend my last seasons with such amazing coaches and teammates.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending my free time out in nature. I especially love rivers, lakes, and creeks. Luckily, those are abundant in Michigan! Whether I am hiking, kayaking, tubing, or swimming, I always feel like I am at peace when I am in or near the water. I make sure to bring a camera with me everywhere I go, and I always stop to take a picture of the plants and animals I find on my adventures. My favorite place to travel is Camp Crystal, my summer camp in Frankfort, Michigan. Camp Crystal sits on Crystal Lake, which has the most beautiful water I have ever seen. This summer, I will return to camp to serve as a CIT, and my dad will be joining me for his final year as a senior counselor. It will be nice to spend more time with my youth group this summer as well.

Next year, I will be attending Michigan State University to study Biology. I am not sure what I want to concentrate on or minor in quite yet, but I am very interested in botany and other environmental sciences of that nature. I will be getting my degree through Lyman Briggs, MSU’s science-focused residential college. In July, I will be studying abroad in Japan through MSU’s First-Year Seminar Abroad program to earn some early credits. I recently found out that I had been accepted to that program and I am very excited for that opportunity.

While at MSU, I plan on applying to work for their student newspaper, The State News. I am looking forward to keeping journalism in my life throughout college and hopefully beyond that. I can hardly wait to see what other student organizations and opportunities MSU has to offer me as I continue my education, and I am especially excited to look into their different student congregations. Being a Leadership Fellow for HELM was another huge goal of mine, and I am so incredibly excited to be a part of this.

ELLI WRIGHT

Elliana Wright is a musician, distance runner, and table setter. Elli is a member of Kirk of Bonnie Brae United Church of Christ where she first learned that community is stronger when we gather around tables and share a meal. She began her journey with “Longer Tables” by volunteering in 2024 and last year, set the first table at a high school in Aurora. Elli plans to attend Colorado College in the fall to pursue a degree in psychology. She hopes to use this degree to eventually run a non-profit focused on connection and belonging.