CHRISTMAS PARADE 2021
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fer. He’s quick to highlight the role she’s played in his success. “My mom was telling me the other day that if an opportunity comes, you should always take advantage of it whether you’re interested in it or not,” Howell says. “The opportunity that you don’t take advantage of could be the same one to change your life.” When Howell was in seventh grade, he was presented with the opportunity to join 4-H, an organization dedicated to mentorship and positive youth development. But he felt hesitant at the time because they’d pick him up in a short little van he thought was embarrassing. “I would be so embarrassed to get in that van, but it just changed my life so much,” Howell says. “Yeah, I had to ride on that van, but look what it allowed me to do. I do this stuff because I don’t want to miss out on the opportunities.” Fast forward four years and he’s spent time on the 4-H state junior board where he represented 40 counties. Now, he’s the local club’s president. Howell exudes confidence. He speaks in a matter-of-fact tone about future plans the same way most people discuss the weekend errands they need to run. Walking the line between confidence and cockiness can be difficult, but Howell is quick to credit those who have helped him along the way. He acknowledges that while teetering the line between confidence and cockiness, he can sometimes drift too far in the wrong direction. “Being too confident probably kills me sometimes,” Howell says. “Being too confident, when you take an ‘L’ (loss), you take it 10 times harder than as if you were expecting that ‘L’ because you weren’t as confident. When you take L’s, you gotta bounce back and just keep it moving.” Howell’s work ethic has blossomed into a multitude of leadership positions and academic success, and, while there’s no telling where he might go from here, he isn’t scared to aim high. His mother told him from a young age it was pointless to tell small-minded people about big dreams. “It’s outlandish for a 16-year-old to say they’re going to take over Wall Street, but if I wanted to do that and I was really interested in that, what could stop me?”
20 Under 40 2022 | Milledgeville Scene
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