Making our future better, brighter

The news lately hasn't been all that positive.

Job losses, consumer bankruptcies, company failures -- even states and cities are looking for bailouts.

Overseas, the threats to Western civilization are many, including terror, nuclear proliferation and more.

But nobody -- absolutely nobody -- could leave The Augusta Chronicle's "Best and Brightest" awards banquet for the area's most outstanding high school seniors last Thursday without being anything but hopeful for the future.

"I'm scared," Best and Brightest honoree Krishna Patel wrote ahead of time, "that when it's time for the people of my generation to lead the world, they won't know how to."

Yeah, we'd hate for people like her to ruin the well-oiled machine the older generation is leaving her, right?

Not to worry. We'll be in incredible hands.

The 21 area students honored by a distinguished panel of judges -- not just at Thursday's banquet, but also in a special section in today's Chronicle -- aren't just students. They're leading scholars, athletes and community activists.

Their academic credentials are amazing enough. Consider last year's top Best and Brightest student, Eddie Lovett, from Glenn Hills High: Although in only his first year at the University of Georgia, he's already a senior due to college credit he earned his junior and senior years at Glenn Hills.

This year's Best and Brightest class is right up there. Take the top honoree chosen by the judges: Yueran "Aaron" Yuan, valedictorian at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet -- consistently one of the best schools in the nation. He scored a perfect 2,400 on the SAT and a perfect 5 on the Calculus AP exam -- despite not even being in the AP class!

Yet, as smart as these kids are, they are also mature beyond their years -- as evidenced by their community activism. They not only participate in unlimited charitable activities, but many of them form their own organizations to do so. And they convince others around them to join in. Some have already been on mission trips abroad, and that has colored their career choices.

That kind of initiative, that kind of power of persuasion, and that kind of self-transcendence is what leadership is all about.

Thus, The Chronicle's annual Best and Brightest awards are something of a leadership graduation.

Their selflessness is reflected in many of their career paths. Many of the 21 Best and Brightest want to go on to become doctors, dentists and medical researchers in order to help others. Nor are they waiting until after they graduate. Aspiring pharmacist Iesha Upshaw, of A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School, has been dual-enrolled at Augusta Technical College in the pharmacy tech program.

North Augusta High's Stephen Farrar wants to serve his country, and is headed for West Point. Emily Bragg of Greenbrier and Matthew Shafer of Augusta Preparatory Day School have their sights set on world peace, nonviolence and international relations. Caroline Mullins of Westminster Schools of Augusta wants to specialize in plastic surgery to treat burn victims.

You get the picture. And it's a bright one.

We'd like to salute not just the students, but their parents. Parenting is the hardest thing one ever does. These parents are some of the best in the region. They've done something right. They've done a lot of somethings right. Just look at the results.

Each one of you should be so very proud. And the rest of us should take heart.

We're no different than most news junkies. We worry about the world sometimes.

When we see young people such as these, we worry a whole lot less.