Caroline Searcy

“Ambition is not an ugly word. Young women like myself should not be ashamed to take up space or bring their voices to the table. We deserve to be heard,” says Caroline Searcy. 

Caroline Searcy is a senior at Fike High School and Historian of the Wilson Area Youth Council (WYC). Just before entering high school, Searcy moved from suburban Northern Virginia to rural eastern North Carolina, where she immediately noticed deep racial and socio-economic divides and under-resourced schools. Yet, the resiliency she saw in her community inspired her to seek service and leadership. A fierce young advocate in rural North Carolina, Searcy is always looking for opportunities to expand her understanding and challenge society’s fractured systems. Searcy says, “civic engagement and advocacy have helped me find my voice and the channels to express it.” 

The Wilson Area Youth Council and the North Carolina Youth Advisory Council have served as channels for Searcy to work with local government agencies and community leaders to address issues that youth like her are confronted with every day. Holding leadership positions in these organizations has provided her with a synthesis of experience at the local and state levels and has challenged her to build character and show leadership in her community. Searcy is especially proud of the Wilson Area Youth Council’s success at organizing the HopeFest Concert to fundraise for the Hope Station Homeless Shelter in Wilson, saying “it was so powerful to see youth, children, parents, and elders come together to a space that we organized from the ground up and watch performances led by youth artists, singers, and dancers.” Partnering with the City Government of Wilson, Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, and First Christian Church of Wilson, the Wilson Area Youth Council collected hundreds of toiletries and sold dozens of raffle tickets for the shelter.

The council has also served as an important space for young women in Wilson, giving women like Searcy who didn’t grow up in the same community all of their lives an opportunity to develop a strong identity. Compared to other organization’s she has been involved in, Searcy describes the Wilson Area Youth Council as one of the most diverse, providing her and other students with resources that schools may not always be able to offer, such as networking opportunities and leadership development skills. 

Asked what advice she would give other young girls beginning their high school journey, Searcy says, “run for student government, join clubs that are meaningful to you, or volunteer for an effort you care deeply about.”