Youth Leadership Exchange (YLX)

🚨 DEADLINE ALERT 🚨

The YLX application closes Monday, March 30 at 9 AM ⏰ Don’t wait until the last minute — submit your application and recommendation letters now!

✨ Tag a friend who should apply with you 👇 or drop a 🔥 if you’ve already submitted your application!

🚨 YLX Applications close at the end of March! 🚨

Got questions? We’ve got answers. 👇
This is your chance to be part of OKC’s premier leadership experience — completely FREE.

Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it. Don’t miss it.
Apply before it’s too late.

🔗 Link in bio.

YLX Scholarship Application is NOW OPEN!!!!

Attention graduating seniors! We are offering two scholarships to support you in your next steps to higher education.

⭐️Mary L. Walsh Scholarship
⭐️Leadership OKC Class XII Investment Club Scholarship

Eligibility:
✅ Completed a YLX program during high school
✅ Current senior (not required to participate in a 2025-2026 YLX program)
✅ Minimum 3.25 unweighted GPA
✅ Plans to attend an accredited U.S. college or university in the upcoming academic year

💰 Award: $2,500 per scholarship, distributed in two $1,250 payments during your first year of college! Funds go directly to your college/university after verifying enrollment (9+ credit hours per semester).

📅 DEADLINE: MARCH 15, 2026 @ 11:59 CT

Don’t miss this opportunity! Apply now and take a step toward your future. 🚀

🔗 Link in our bio!

Future leaders—this is your moment. 💚

The Youth Leadership Exchange (YLX) is now accepting applications! If you’re a high school student in Oklahoma County who wants to lead, grow, and create change, we want YOU.

Deadline: March 30 at 9 AM
🔗 Link in our bio!

🎶 “You know the drill!” 💥
The Youth in Action Class XXVI Grant is officially OPEN!
We’re looking to give $10,000 to a local nonprofit making an impact for OKC youth through education, mentorship, and community. 🙌

Think your program fits the mission? Apply now through the link in our bio!

We know it’s not cool to double post… but this leader is so cool, we had to. 😎

🌟 30 Years of YLX: Celebrating the Future of Leadership 🌟

As we celebrate 30 years of empowering young leaders through YLX, we’re honored to spotlight Elliott Cruz, a graduate of both our Leadership Skills and Youth Council programs and a proud first-generation college student now studying Philosophy and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University. 🎓📚

“To say that YLX is a big part of why I am where I am today would be an understatement... I was given the freedom and foundation to build my leadership alongside other student leaders who truly wanted to grow alongside others and form a lifelong community.”

Elliott’s time in YLX shaped his voice, sharpened his leadership, and connected him to a community that made him proud to be an Oklahoman. Today, he’s a contributor to the Vanderbilt Political Review, active in education and immigration advocacy, and continuing to lead with purpose and principle.

💬 Drop a 🎓 or 💬 if YLX shaped your voice and help us celebrate 30 years of youth leadership in OKC!

As we honor three decades of empowering youth leaders, we’re especially grateful for the dedicated individuals guiding our mission forward.

Meet the 2025-2026 YLX Board of Directors. A group committed to shaping the next 30 years of impact, one student at a time. 💚

Special thanks to Suzanne Singleterry for her remarkable service as a board chair. Her devotion, wisdom, and heart for youth have left a legacy we’ll continue to build upon.

As we begin this new chapter, we’re thrilled to welcome Sonny Wilkinson as our new Board Chair. With Sonny’s leadership and the passion of our incoming board members, we know this will be a year full of growth, impact, and inspiration.

👉 Meet the full board: https://lnkd.in/g3pJ_vUx

After a short pause last week while our director was away at a conference, we’re back, and excited to share not one, but two stories in celebration of 30 years of YLX! 🎉

First up: Ashleigh Sorrell Rose, a shining example of what it means to give back full circle. 🌟 A former YLX student who discovered United Way through a list THE Mary Walsh handed out before online searches were even a thing, Ashleigh's summer internship in 2002 forever shaped her career path. 📋✨

“I had never heard of United Way or really understood the needs of our community outside my bubble in Moore. That summer changed everything.”
That internship? It led her straight into a career in community impact, and she’s never looked back.

Ashleigh has volunteered with YLX in many roles over the years, but her favorite? Co-chairing Youth In Action with Matt “Magical” Cagigal. Their year made history when students couldn't choose just one nonprofit, so they supported two, raising over $20,000 in the process. 💰🔥

The wildest part? Ashleigh and Matt discovered an old photo of them as high school seniors serving on the YLX board together, and had completely forgotten. Years later, fate (or Mary Walsh!) brought them back together to lead.

💬 Drop a 💡 if YLX helped shape your story too, and help us celebrate 30 years of student leadership, service, and some serious full-circle moments.

As we celebrate 30 years of YLX, we’re honored to spotlight Jema Esparza Copeland, a graduate of Leadership Skills Class XXI, LOYAL Class XVII, now a Data Analyst at Metro Tech, and a proud YLX Board Member.

But Jema’s impact doesn’t stop there. She recently shadowed the Leadership Skills program and will serve as a co-chair for the next two years, helping guide the very class that once shaped her own leadership path. 💼🧡

“Anyone who serves as a volunteer has a lightbulb moment that sparks interest and passion for positive impact. YLX was that moment for me.”

Jema says YLX introduced her to community involvement, led her to her college major and career, and gave her mentors and lifelong friends. Now, she’s giving back in a big way. Continuing the cycle of leadership for future students.

💬 Drop a 💡 if YLX sparked your passion for service, and help us celebrate 30 years of empowering OKC youth!

As we celebrate 30 years of empowering young leaders through YLX, we’re proud to spotlight Alma, a recent graduate of Leadership Skills Class # # #, Youth Council Representative (2023–2024), and one of our newest members of the Student Board of Directors. 💼🎓

“YLX has influenced my community involvement by serving as the foundation for my leadership and service. These people are the future of our state, I am the future of my state, all thanks to YLX for saying yes to me.”

Alma’s story is a powerful reminder of what happens when young leaders are given the space to thrive. With 8 leadership programs completed and 500+ hours of service, she’s already making an impact, and she’s just getting started.