One of the natural developments of Sammy’s Buddy Program is leadership. General education students, many of whom are considered at-risk, rise to the occasion as natural leaders and advocates for their buddies. In order to further develop this all-important skill, we have implemented leadership academies as a part of Sammy’s Buddy Program. Students participate in interactive, skills-based lessons on leadership as well as an annual leadership summit where they can use their voices, experience and newly-developed leadership skills to create new, impactful programs within their own schools and communities. Additionally, we provide service leadership opportunities for high school students who volunteer within the program. Building kind, inclusive leaders is our goal.