Sometimes change starts with nothing more than someone noticing what isn’t there. At White House High School (WHHS), that someone was sophomore Owen Caton. 

Owen began to pick up on something that was missing. Students showed a growing disconnect with the people who lead, guide, and shape the city they call home. These same students eventually become the adults working, serving, and leading in White House. If they never learn how their city works, how will they ever step into those roles?

That question lingered long enough that Owen finally decided to act. The result is WHY LEAD, a new student leadership program built to help 9th–12th graders get connected, informed, and involved in the civic life of White House.

“During my 8th grade student council, I saw how powerful it was when students got to connect with adult leaders,” Owen says. “But when I moved into high school, that connection didn’t seem to be there; that’s really where WHY LEAD was born. I wanted to help fill that gap.”

Owen wasn’t interested in creating a club simply for the sake of adding another name to the extracurricular list. He kept coming back to the same idea: what if students actually had access to the people making decisions for their community? What if they could sit in the same room with them, ask questions, and see how things really work?

He started researching leadership programs across Tennessee that gave students real exposure to civic life. As he pieced together what might serve WHHS students best, he brought his idea to someone he knew could help him shape it: Mandy Christenson, President and CEO of the White House Area Chamber of Commerce.

“A youth leadership program has been on my list of things to do for quite some time, but when Owen came to me with his ideas, it fast tracked to the top of the list.” Mandy shares. “When you have a student sitting across the desk from you who is passionate about bringing value to his community, you can’t help but feel motivated and ready to take the leap with him.”

With Mandy’s guidance, the idea grew into something more structured. WHY LEAD will be a community leadership program for students, open to all White House 9th to 12th graders whether public, private or homeschool. 

The club will meet regularly and walk students through leadership development, civic education, and community issues. They’ll meet city officials, business owners, and chamber leaders throughout the year. They’ll also volunteer — serving at events, helping with community projects, and learning how to contribute in ways that make a visible difference.

“There’s nothing else here that lets students sit across the table from the people who make decisions for our city,” Owen says. “We need to understand how things work now, not five years from now.”

Owen’s own picture of leadership has been shaped by people he sees every day. He talks about school principals who show up early, stay late, and quietly put students first without any attention. Those examples left an impression.

 “Seeing them lead that way reminded me that leadership is really about serving others,” he says. “That’s the heart of WHY LEAD.”

Looking ahead, Owen hopes the program will still be around long after he graduates. He wants students to have a place where they discover that their voices matter — where the next generation of White House leaders begins to take shape.

“Even after I graduate,” Owen stresses, “I want to look back and see that WHY LEAD helped students step into who they’re meant to be in this community.”