About one-hundred students, faculty and guests gathered in the Leesburg High campus auditorium to celebrate the 2024/25 Youth Construction Academy’s eleven member “Dream Team.” In-attendance were Principal Michael Randolph, Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter CEO Danielle Stroud, Lake County School Superintendent Diane Kornegay, school board member Tyler Brandenburg and RoMac CEO Don Magruder.

Accompanied by the marching band, cheer team and spirit squad, Principal Randolph started off the celebration in his usual positive manner with a few words of wisdom.

“You have a legacy and standard to uphold,” he said from the lectern. “We are proud of you as you embark on building your sixth house!” 

The new house will be located at E. Warm Springs Drive in Coleman.

Initially when the partnership started six years ago there were only 30 participants and now there are close to six-hundred who help families in need and in the process, potentially go forward with a career. Out of dozens of applicants, eleven were chosen.

Danielle Stroud also let the students know she was proud to be a part of the Academy. 

“You know I love working with the students and the schools,” she says. “They are our future so anything Habitat can do to engage with the community it’s a win/win for sure.”

Senior Otto Smith was around fourteen when he and his mom were blessed with a home from Habitat and the Academy. He still lives there today and says he has felt so blessed over the last few years, he wanted to give back and now is a Dream Team member.

“It’s such an overwhelming joy to have the opportunity to live in a place where I can look at every single nail, every piece of my house and know that there were a lot of hands and care that contributed,” he says. 

Once he transferred to Leesburg High, he wanted to give back.

“My senior year I came here and Mr. (Brian) Russ, the faculty construction manager, wanted me to join,” Otto says. “So now I can participate and help make another family’s dream come true.”

Team leader Evelyn Gonzalez, also a senior, played with Lego’s when she was little and has been fascinated with architecture and building things her whole life. She says she doesn’t consider it an issue to be a female in charge. 

“It just shows that anyone can do anything” she says. “It’s not just a male-dominated place and if you are mentally there you can go as far as possible.”  

To honor the work that RoMac has put into this initiative, Superintendent Kornegay gave Don Magruder a plaque and renamed the academy the RoMac Academy of Building Construction, to remain in perpetuity.

“You would think that our only motivation is as a building supplier, but that’s not the case,” says Don. “There is a real-world housing crisis here and because of AI and new technology we have to allow different industries to provide opportunities for these students.”

He goes on to applaud the student’s efforts and stresses that this generation often gets a bad rap. 

“What’s amazing to me is that there are stereotypes about this generation of kids and let me tell you, if you work one day with these them you will realize they are hard-working and really something special.”

Habitat Lake-Sumter opens applications 2-3 times throughout the year. Individuals and Families submit a pre-application and are approved on a first come, first qualified basis. Criteria includes the following:  applicants must live or work in Lake or Sumter Counties, have a household income at or below 80% area median income, meet a target credit score of 640, and be able to qualify for an affordable mortgage. Future homebuyers also agree to partner with Habitat for Humanity through 200 hours of sweat equity. Sweat Equity includes volunteering at various Habitat projects and financial education workshops.