Carlos Copeland Jr. is wise beyond his years. Integrity and composure are words he uses to describe himself today but what one would not easily recognize from his demeanor is the amount of growth and experience it has taken for him to reach higher than he could have ever imagined in and outside of his Club.
Carlos joined the Warren Boys & Girls Club at just 6 years old. He was not happy about his mother’s decision to sign him up. Worried he would not make friends because of his shy nature, he admits to having poor behavior in the beginning. That only lasted a few weeks as the warm and welcoming environment at the Club broke him out of his shell.
Carlos says, “My Club has challenged me by continuously pushing me outside of my comfort zone.”
Today, Carlos is an established leader within his Club. He is through volunteering, coaching his younger peers in 8-11 Flag Football, and participating in programs like Boys Scouts, Keystone Club, College Bound, and S.T.A.R.S. (Striving to Achieve Real Success).
His enthusiasm and diligence throughout the years has paid off as he recently completed a summer internship through a Boys & Girls Club partnership with Fortune 500 consulting firm, Accenture.
One of his Accenture supervisors recalls, “His willingness to learn not only about his client and specific work tasks, but also about business acumen in general made him stand out as an intern.”
He credits much of his success today to having a great support system in his Club staff. Male figures like Coach Zantone offered him opportunities to confide in him and words of advice while Mr. John Strong challenged him to think about his future and how he would get there.
Carlos considers his Club’s executive director, Ms. Gail Johnson, to be like family as she has always been supportive to not only him, but also his family at home. He is appreciative to her for positioning him for opportunities and helping him develop the tools to succeed.
“Quitting is not an option for him. Over the years, there have been times he was the only one left standing in the end,” says Ms. Gail.
Carlos is determined to succeed and considers anything less than his “absolute best” a failure.
After graduation, Carlos hopes to attend West Georgia University to study physical therapy.