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The President’s Wall of Honor spotlights young YHC alumni who have gone on to do extraordinary things and continue the Mountain Lion tradition of success. Each fall, we accept nominations for young alumni with creative and innovative careers that positively impact their communities and the world.

View the 2024 Wall of Honor alumni below! 

Austin Freeman

Austin Freeman

Austin was a YHC graduate of the Class of 2012. He was a Theatre major and Religious Studies minor. Austin has never been one to shy away from the spotlight. He was incredibly active in the theatre department at YHC time in the Enchanted Valley.

After graduation, he pursued his acting career. He has been a part of many notable films and television series such as playing Mike in the Warner Brothers Movie, The Mule, doing body-actor work as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, playing in the series, Loki, and many others. In fact, just take a look at his IMDB page, it is pretty incredible!

Austin has diversified himself professionally on and off-screen. Not only is he signed to Atlanta Models & Talent, but he is also a successful Real Estate Agent for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties.

Briana Bell

Brianna Bell

Briana graduated in 2018 with a major in Business and Public Policy, with a Minor in Spanish.
During her time at YHC, Briana was an incredibly active and involved student-athlete. She played for the Women’s Basketball team all four years and was captain for two years. She served as the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, was a Student Alumni Ambassador, served on the Student Advisory Council of the Honors Program, and was a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society and the Sigma Beta Business Honors Society. All while excelling tremendously academically. Briana graduated Summa Cum Laude and was class Salutatorian.

After graduation, Briana went on to pursue her J.D. at Emory University School of Law where she continued to dedicate her time to volunteerism and academics.

Currently, Briana is an Attorney at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton specializing in intellectual property law.

Breann Lindsey

Breann Lindsey

Breann graduated in 2016 with a major in Outdoor Leadership and a minor in Appalachian Studies and Community Engagement. During her time at YHC, Breann was a competitive cheerleader, Homecoming Queen, and member of Greek life and the Inter-Religious Council. At the 2016 commencement ceremony, Breann was presented with the Young Harris Spirit Award for her enthusiasm for the institution and her love for her fellow students. Breann gained valuable experience in the Enchanted Valley as an orientation facilitator, resident assistant, and teaching assistant for the Outdoor Leadership Program.

Her love for higher education and the outdoors led her to pursue a graduate degree after YHC. She was accepted into Wheaton College’s Master of Arts in Outdoor Adventure Leadership program. After she completed her master’s, she began working in the camp and non-profit field, holding positions at the YMCA of the East Valley and the University of Redlands directing community-facing and higher education outdoor recreation programs.

Breann is now at the University of California, Riverside as the Outdoor Excursions Coordinator.

Heather Richbourg

Heather Richbourg

Heather came to the Enchanted Valley from over the state border and down the road in Hayesville, NC. She graduated in 2013 with a major in Biology and a minor in Mathematics. During her time at YHC, she was on the Women’s Cross Country Team, a Resident Assistant, and was an Honors Student.

After graduation, Heather decided to further her education at Louisiana State University where she received her Doctorate of Philosophy, Biomedical and Veterinary Medical Sciences. While at LSU, Heather was a Graduate Research Associate and was VP of the Graduate Student Organization. After receiving her PhD, Heather joined the Board of Directors for the American Assocation for Anatomy and led policy changes regarding sexual harassment. During that same time, she was completing her postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco. There, she was a member of the Gender Equity Taskforce, a part of the Catalyst Awards Internship Program, and received the University of California Chancellor Award for Advancement of Women.

Heather is now a Bioinformatics Scientist II at Ultragenyx where she is devoted to research related to helping those with rare diseases. On top of that, Heather is also a mentor and facilitator for TechWomen, an organization that empowers, connects and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East.

Jack Tripp

James M. “Jack” Tripp

“Jack”, as we know him, graduated in 2012 with a degree in Business & Public Policy. During his time in the Enchanted Valley, Jack was heavily involved in the Student Government Association. So, it is no surprise that in 2011 he became a summer Legislative Intern for U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

After graduation, Jack has remained active on campus, returning for many events and gatherings. He is a member of the YHC Young Alumni Professionals where he worked closely with Alumni Engagement.

With a passion for public service, Jack knew that public office was for him. In 2015, he became a Session Assistant for the Georgia State Senate. Then, in 2017 he moved on to become a Status Clerk. After that, Jack moved up to the rank of Deputy Secretary of the Georgia State Senate and is now proud to be serving Georgians as the Secretary of the Georgia State Senate!

Jada Williams

Jada Williams

Jada graduated from Young Harris college with a degree in History in 2018. During her time here at YHC, she was heavily involved on campus. She played on the Women’s Basketball Team, was a part of religious life, was an RA for 3 years, a Dorcas member, a Student Alumni Ambassador, a member of Gamma Psi, a little sister for Zeta Pi, a member of APO, was Homecoming Queen, and won the Zell Miller Award at her Commencement Ceremony.

After graduating from YHC, Jada decided to continue her education at Wake Forest and obtained a JD and Master of Divinity in May of this year. Whilst she was at Wake Forest, Jada was selected by her peers to be the student speaker for her Law School graduation ceremony.

Currently Jada is using her skills as a Higher Education Law Fellow for Husch Blackwell at Wake Forest University.

Leslie Ballew

Leslie Ballew

Leslie graduated from YHC in 2019 with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Economics, Human Communication, and Religious Studies. During her time at YHC, she was able to study abroad through the McCollough Scholarship, serve as Campus Chaplain Assistant, Interfaith Council President, Dorcas President, Rotaract Club President, and be a part of the Chapel Ministry Team Leadership and the Worship Band.

After YHC, she attended Duke University and obtained her M.Div. She has used her talents to become the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Chaplain Fellow at Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Mayra Leyva 1

Mayra Leyva

Mayra graduated in 2019 with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies. She came to Young Harris from Athens, Georgia and felt right at home in the Enchanted Valley. During her time at YHC Mayra was a ray of sunshine to all that she came in contact with. She often encouraged and supported her fellow students. On top of her dazzling personality, she played an active role in the Baptist College Ministry on campus making it her mission to spread the love of Christ with her peers. She was also a member of Phi Alpha Phi and was part of the Underground Student Ministry Leadership Team. During commencement she received the “Spirit of Young Harris Award” for all of her contributions to YHC and her willingness to be positively involved with the student body.

With all that being said, it is no surprise that Mayra is now the Student Ministry Coordinator at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

Parker Moon

Parker Moon

Parker Moon graduated in 2019 with a major in Biology. During his time at Young Harris College, Parker was both President of the Golden Key Honors Society and Vice President of Alpha Chi Honors Society. The leadership roles he held really gave him wings and with those skills he decided to take flight.

With that being said, after graduation, Parker became a certified flight instructor at Dragonfly Aviation in Winder, GA. He soon went on to become a Senior Flight Instructor for the company. Later, he transitioned into a new position as a pilot for two years for Republic Airways and now is a pilot for NetJets, the world’s largest private jet company.

Spencer Thomas

Spencer Thomas

Spencer graduated from Young Harris College in 2015 with a degree in Business and Public Policy. While at YHC, Spencer was captain of the YHC baseball team and led in the conference batting average in 2013. Spencer also helped transition the team into the Peach Belt Conference. In addition to his role as an athlete, he was active in FCA, as well as a Dean’s List student.

Since leaving the Enchanted Valley, Spencer has become a leader for Southwest Georgia Oil Co./SunStop Stores. He has been a District Manager for five years, overseeing 10-12 convenience stores in the North Florida, South Georgia, and Southeast Alabama areas. He has been named to the “Top 40 Under 40” convenience stores leaders by C-Store Decisions magazine where he was selected from thousands of candidates after a nationwide search.

Aside from being a manager, Spencer is a thriving entrepreneur as he and his wife own and operate multiple Ellianos Coffee Franchises and ice cream shops in Northwest Florida.

Installation of Wall of Honor 2024

Check out the digitized Wall of Honor from 2023.