When Starkville Academy senior Maggie Martin heard the words “from the great state of Mississippi” on her Zoom call, she immediately burst into tears.
“It was so overwhelming to have a dream this big come true. I was incredibly excited and grateful,” Martin, 17, said recalling the moment she found out she had been named the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Youth Leadership Council national spokesperson.
Martin, representing the state of Mississippi, beat out 43 other co-op youth leaders in the program from around the country.
Before that, the 4-County Electric member and co-op’s youth leader representative beat out 84 high school juniors from around the state to represent Mississippi.
Those accolades mean a lot to the Starkville girl who said she has struggled with perfectionism and self-worth most of her life.
Counseling, finding great communities, and learning to identify the things which lead you to negative mindsets are essential parts of overcoming anxiety or depression. It’s also important to remind yourself that it isn’t permanent, and that there are so many brighter days ahead.
In fact, the speech that was judged for the national spokesperson competition, delved into how she overcame her personal struggles.
“My speech is centered around my personal experiences with perfectionism, self-worth, and anxiety. I also discussed the loss of two friends due to their suicides and how that affected my view of emotions and their power over us. I tied all of it into the song ‘Who Says?’ by Selena Gomez because that song has been a favorite of mine since I was little, and as I’ve gotten older, the message has always encouraged me that I am worth more than even what my own ideas tell me,” Martin said.
As a result of being named national spokesperson, Martin will deliver her award-winning speech this month at the NRECA Power Xchange and Tech Advantage meeting in Atlanta. Martin will also have the opportunity to speak to students from all around the country at the 2025 Cooperative Youth Leaders Tour of Washington, D.C. in June.
The Promise of Leadership
Martin’s journey to become NRECA’s Youth Leadership Council (YLC) national spokesperson began with Starkville Academy counselor Jessica Hubbard.
“I have been referring students annually to the 4-County youth leadership program since 2013. I knew Maggie would be an excellent candidate because of her exceptional communication skills. Maggie can hold an intelligent conversation with anyone on any topic on little notice. She thinks on her feet and has a sense of humor. She is intuitive and very humble,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard said she was “overjoyed” when she found out Martin won the spokesperson title.
“When I first heard she was chosen as the national spokesperson, I was overjoyed to know, that with this position, others outside our school and community will get to know what a bright and personable young woman our Maggie is.”
Martin was picked as Mississippi’s YLC representative during the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi’s Cooperative Leaders Workshop in Jackson in February 2024.
Eddie Tanner, one of the workshop facilitators and a judge that helped pick the state YLC representative, said Martin stood out from the beginning of the three-day event.
“Her display of leadership skills in the group activities as well as her ability to share her thoughts on leadership during the interview process showed that Maggie loves Mississippi, and this is just the start of her becoming a young leader in her community and state,” Tanner said.
Donna Richmond, the Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi’s controller and another workshop judge that helped pick the YLC representative, said Martin was very genuine and unrehearsed during her interview.
“She was refreshingly down to earth with a youthful but wise energy. She captivated the panel with her confidence and exuded humility, honesty, charisma, and passion,” Richmond said.
Brad Barr, 4-County senior communications coordinator, said Martin “is a shining example of an exceptional young leader.”
“Her enthusiasm, intelligence, and passion are evident in everything she does. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments as she represents 4-County as a youth leadership delegate on local, state, and national levels,” Barr said.
Something About Maggie
Martin has been a student at Starkville Academy for 14 years.
She was the captain of the school’s junior varsity and high school cheerleading squads as well as a member of several service organizations on campus.
Her favorite, Better Together, is a club dedicated to serve, help, and encourage students in school and in the community.
A self-described “art kid,” Martin said she loves to read (her favorite book is “Little Women”), listen to music on old fashioned vinyl (her favorites include Taylor Swift and The Band Camino), dance, and attend plays and musicals.
“Art is something that has allowed me to escape from some of my hardest moments and to explore creativity and possibility,” Martin said.
Martin said her family — parents Anna Katherine and Andrew and big sister Laura Guyton — is her biggest encouragement.
“Even when I was younger, I had a lot of tendencies to allow perfectionism or anxiety to hold me back. My parents and sister always comforted me and pushed me to work through those feelings so that I could be successful. Even when I didn’t see anything in myself, they always did, and I’m so glad they helped me reach my dreams.”
Martin will be attending Auburn University following graduation.
When asked about how she and her peers should deal with anxiety, Martin said her advice is everyone should take a step back from media, discover what it is they are struggling with, and not be afraid to work on overcoming the issue.
“Counseling, finding great communities, and learning to identify the things which lead you to negative mindsets are essential parts of overcoming anxiety or depression. It’s also important to remind yourself that it isn’t permanent, and that there are so many brighter days ahead.”
Martin said being named national spokesperson and experiencing Mississippi’s Cooperative Youth Leaders program is something she will never forget.
“YLC gave me incredible friendships, lifelong lessons, opportunities I will never forget, and it continues to inspire me to reach for even the dreams that feel impossible. I know that being a representative of this organization will always motivate me to become better, and remind me, as I reach for my goals in the future, that it’s okay to have a little hope.”
Photos by Chad Calcote
