MEd student breaks new ground at youth academy

A student of the College of Education's educational psychology program is breaking new ground at a new National Guard facility for youth in Milledgeville, Georgia.

Capt. Jared Smith, who is pursuing an online master's degree in education, was recently named the inaugural director for the Youth ChalleNGe Academy set to open on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital.

Smith is a graduate of Georgia Military College and has served in the National Guard for 12 years. He most recently worked as a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Putnam County Middle School in Eatonton.

Applied cognition and development is one of nearly a dozen graduate degrees offered online by the University of Georgia College of Education. The program explores the effect of human cognitive, motivational and developmental processes in education and practice.

The Youth ChalleNGe Academy is a voluntary, preventative program aimed to help young high school dropouts improve their life skills, education and job training. The academy will enroll 300 students in two 22-week sessions per year, and select students can earn credits at Georgia Military College, Central Georgia Technical College and Georgia College.