IOTA ETA OMEGA CHAPTER of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. recently formed an Emerging Young Leaders group consisting of junior high school girls from Franklin Junior High. The program is the 2010 – 2014 signature program of the national body for middle school girls. It consists of four AKAdemies designed to extend the vision of the sorority by cultivating and encouraging high scholastic achievement through leadership development, educational enrichment, civic engagement and character building. The program will develop skills and talents of middle school girls (grades 6, 7 and 8) with potential for becoming leaders within their local communities, as well as in other venues. Similar groups can be found from Florida to Germany; the Bahamas to New York. The goal of the program is to impact 20,000 middle school girls by offering tools to help develop life-long skills in the areas of advocacy, leadership, community service, financial literacy, technology, environmental sustainability, higher education and non-traditional careers for women. Officers for the group are President Shaterra Randle, Vice President Azhyralan Alexander, secretary Ray’Beantae Tabor, Assistant Secretary Kaira Butler, Parliamentarian Kaviante Gilton, Sergeant at Arms Alaya Kemp and Chaplain Alarriyah Hamilton. Local sponsors of the group are chapter members Dianna Alexander and Lucy Watson.