Three Tyrone sophomores recently graduated from the Leadership Blair County Youth Program, a nine-month program run by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce that helps area students develop leadership skills and learn more about their communities.
The 2026 Leadership Blair County Youth class included 24 students from schools across Blair County.
Tyrone Area High School was represented by sophomores Aidan Luther, Karter Bokulich, and Shiloh Price.
Three students from each school are selected from all applications received in the spring of the student’s freshman year.
Digital Media Manager and Program Coordinator Brittany Mayer praised the Tyrone students for their contributions to the program.
“Aidan, Karter, and Shiloh really demonstrated their strong leadership potential throughout the year,” Mayer said. “They were engaged, respectful, and willing to step outside of their comfort zones during discussions and activities.”
The youth program is modeled after the adult Leadership Blair County program, which was established in 1994 to develop leaders in the county through a series of informative and educational sessions that often use the community itself as a classroom.
“The program gives students opportunities they may not otherwise experience,” Mayer said. “They gain exposure to local businesses, organizations, and community leaders while also developing important life and servant leadership skills. The goal is to show them all the positive aspects of Blair County.”
Like the adult program, Leadership Blair County Youth allows participants to exchange ideas with each other and with leaders and experts in Blair County.
Throughout the year, students attended monthly sessions at locations across the county. They toured local businesses, visited historic sites, participated in team-building activities, networked with local leaders, and learned about leadership, community service, agriculture, industry, history, and local career opportunities.
In addition to building leadership skills, students also had the opportunity to meet student leaders from other Blair County schools.
“Some of my favorite memories came from watching the students build relationships with one another and grow in confidence throughout the year,” Mayer said. “Seeing students from different schools come together, collaborate, and form connections was incredibly rewarding.”
For the Tyrone students, the monthly field trips were one of the highlights of the program.
“I liked the experience. The program is a really good thing to get into, and I enjoyed it,” Luther said.
The students visited several locations throughout the year, including Ritchey’s Dairy, a farm in Martinsburg, Fort Roberdeau, the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, the Mishler Theatre, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, and the Blair County Airport.
“My favorite trip was visiting the airport and the dairy farm,” Bokulich said.
The first trip of the year took students to the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, the Mishler Theatre, and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, where they learned about Blair County’s history and cultural landmarks.
Another session focused on the county’s agricultural heritage. Students visited a farm in Martinsburg and Ritchey’s Dairy, where they learned about dairy production and sampled ice cream.
In March, the Leadership Blair County Youth class joined the adult Leadership Blair County class for a session that gave students the chance to interview adult leaders and present what they learned. The session also included a team-building activity that required planning, communication, and trial and error.
“I really enjoyed this session,” Luther said. “It taught me a lot about how important it is to interact with people older than us, and it also gave us a chance to talk to our future selves, which is basically what they are.”
The April session was bittersweet for the students because it marked the end of the program. During that session, students visited Fort Roberdeau, where they helped create protective nets for trees to keep deer away. They also learned about the fort’s history and its plans for the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The students completed the program with a graduation ceremony at the Blair County Convention Center.
As part of the graduation program, Bokulich and Luther were assigned to give a short speech about the farm session. Price spoke about the orientation session, in which students participated in a tennis-ball activity to help them learn each other’s names.
The Tyrone students said they applied to the program to strengthen their leadership skills and learn more about opportunities in Blair County.
“The only thing I disliked about this opportunity was that I had to make up all the missing classwork,” Bokulich said.
“I joined because I wanted to try something new and learn more about future career opportunities,” Price said. “The only thing I personally didn’t like was talking in public in front of a lot of people.”
All three Tyrone students agreed that Leadership Blair County Youth was a worthwhile experience and recommended it to future Tyrone students.
“Overall, this is a great program and experience,” Luther said. “Anyone who is considering doing it should do it. They won’t be disappointed.”
Mayer thought the program was a success this year and hopes that, in the long term, it will inspire the students to become leaders in their schools and across Blair County.
“I’m very proud of this year’s class and grateful to everyone who helped make the program possible, including Berry Solutions Group, our speakers, sponsors, schools, and volunteers,” Mayer said.
