TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — High school students from various backgrounds have been brought together to learn more about leadership.

Students participated in TROY’s Trojan Patriot Academy, which marked the program’s inaugural session.

Throughout the week students participate in sessions that address various parts of being a leader. Participants also heard from TROY professors who used their personal experiences to help students learn about real-life leadership lessons.

The Trojan Patriot Academy is a way to bring young high school students to our campus to learn about leadership and civic engagement,” Trojan Patriot Academy speaker Dr. Dee Bennett explained.

RELATED NEWS: Trojan Patriot Academy holds inaugural session

One session called “Global Passports,” aimed to help students understand what leadership looks like around the world.

While on campus, students earned their “global passports,” which were based on the letters of T-R-O-Y. Each letter served as a critical piece of the leadership puzzle.

“T was about traditions, where do my traditions come from,” explained Dr. Duane Gunn, a Trojan Academy speaker. “The ‘R’ is about respect. Then the ‘O’ is about the optics. ‘Y’ is about the communications piece, the social media.”

Trojan Patriot Academy is a joint venture between Troy University and the American Village Citizenship Trust.