Gainesville High School senior Travis Edmond is hoping that the three days he spends rubbing elbows with young elected officials from around the nation this week will help him become a strong leader himself.

Edmond is the only high school student participating in this year’s Young Elected Officials Forum in Little Rock, Arkansas. More than 150 local and state officials from around the nation will be gathering in the Williams Jefferson Clinton Library for workshops and presentations designed to boost their leadership skills. Edmond, who is GHS’ student body president and an officer in the Florida Association of Student Councils (FASC), says the forum will help him move toward his goal of holding public office.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Meeting these people and finding out what they do to better their communities is really going to help me in the future.”

Edmond’s all-expenses paid trip to the Forum came about as a result of meeting Andrew Gillum, a GHS graduate and city commissioner in Tallahassee, at the annual conference of the FASC. GHS hosted the conference, and Edmond was one of the driving forces behind it. Gillum, a guest speaker at the conference, liked what he saw in the student leader.

“I was so impressed with his initiative and his leadership,” said Gillum. “I wanted him to have an opportunity to meet young officials who will inspire him and direct him down a path toward public service.”

“Travis has been a real leader in our school and in the state, which means taking on difficult tasks that require planning, caution and foresight,” said Linda Awbrey, who directs student government at GHS. “He’s the perfect candidate to have been chosen to participate in the forum.”

After graduation from GHS, Edmond will be attending Florida State University, where he will study political science and business. He also hopes to intern with a local or state politician to learn more of the ropes of elected office. Ultimately, he says he’s determined to make a difference.

“I want to make a change,” he said. “Whether it be in a state or local or national office, I want to make life the best it can be for the people I’m representing.”