Tucson Youth Leadership Academy
About Tucson Youth Leadership Academy
The Tucson Youth Leadership Academy (TYLA) is a partnership between Greater Tucson Leadership and the Pima County School Superintendent's Office that delivers a semester-long leadership and career-readiness program to students at Title I high schools across Pima County — completely free to students, families, and schools.
TYLA is student-directed. Students don't just attend career panels — they choose them. Using trend data from their own job shadow selections, each cohort selects the career pathway panels that matter most to them, and students moderate the panels themselves, developing real-world facilitation and public speaking skills in the process. Through evidence-based assessments, direct access to Tucson professionals, and 8 hours of hands-on job shadowing, TYLA equips students with the skills, confidence, and connections to step into their potential — not just for their next job, but for their lives as leaders in our community.
Since 2021, 185 students have graduated from TYLA. 100% would recommend it to other high school students.
Program Attributes
Gallup Strengths Finder Assessment – Students discover their top five strengths and utilize those to understand and frame their leadership development.
Myers-Briggs Strong Interest Survey – The assessment provides robust insight into a person's interests, so students can consider potential careers, their educational path, and the world of work.
Leadership Development – Students learn leadership development skills in Visioning, Public Speaking, Personal Brand Development, Conflict Management and Resolution, Values Exploration, Active Listening, Problem Solving, and developing Personal Mission Statements and Goals.
Career Pathway Panels – Students meet directly with leaders from the community — and each cohort selects and moderates its own panels based on job shadow trend data. Past speakers have represented Raytheon, Union Pacific, Paragon Space Development, Freefall Aerospace, Tucson Electric Power, Southwest Gas, Caterpillar, Roche Tissue Diagnostics, El Rio Health, and more.
Career Shadowing – Students spend 8 hours in a job shadow placement based off their Myers-Briggs Strong Interest Survey.
Program Design
Leadership Development Retreat – 12 hours
Four Class Days – 10 hours
Job Shadowing – 8 hours
Graduation Ceremony
Measured Impact
Our data tells a clear story: TYLA works.
100% of graduates would recommend TYLA to other students (144 of 144 respondents)
97.2% feel prepared to step into a leadership role
Before TYLA, only 40% of students rated themselves a 4 or 5 in leadership competence. After the program: nearly 90%.
312 job shadow hours logged in FY 2025–2026 alone
"My biggest takeaway from the program is that it's very introspective and reflective. During my time in the program I got to take a deeper look into who I am and my role in society." — Palo Verde TYLA Participant
Pueblo High School - Spring 2026
Marana High School - Fall 2025
Palo Verde High School - Spring 2025
Santa Rita High School - Fall 2024
Demographics
At Greater Tucson Leadership, we are intentional about recruiting participants who reflect the full diversity of Tucson. TYLA serves students from historically underrepresented communities — young people who deserve the same access to leadership training, mentorship, and career connections as anyone else.
Race / Ethnicity (all cohorts combined, FY 2022–2026)
~57% Hispanic / Latino
15% White / Caucasian
13% Black or African American
9% American Indian or Alaskan Native
9% Multiple Ethnicity / Other
6% Asian / Pacific Islander
Gender (FY 2025–2026 cohorts)
51% Female | 49% Male
Hispanic and Latino students make up more than half of all TYLA participants — reflecting Tucson's population and affirming that TYLA is reaching the communities where investment matters most.
TYLA Class History
2022 Spring - Tanque Verde High School
2022 Fall - Tucson Magnet High School
2023 Spring - Amphitheater High School
2023 Fall - Flowing Wells High School
2024 Spring - Catalina High School
2024 Fall - Santa Rita High School
2025 Spring - Palo Verde High School
2025 Fall - Marana High School
2026 Spring - Pueblo High School
2026 Fall - Mountain View High School
2027 Spring - Flowing Wells High School
Awards
May 9, 2025 - GTL received the Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Service to Community from the Metro Education Commission for our Tucson Youth Leadership Academy (TYLA) program. TYLA is all about empowering students through leadership training, career exploration, and mentorship, all at no cost to them. This award celebrates the incredible impact TYLA has had in preparing the next generation of change-makers and reflects our mission to recognize, develop, and engage driven leaders to be catalysts for change. We are so thankful to the educators, mentors, sponsors, and community partners who make this program possible.
Your Tax Credit Builds Future Leaders
TYLA is provided entirely free of charge to students. The program exists because of forward-thinking organizations and individuals who believe every young person in Tucson deserves the chance to discover their strengths and step into their potential.
Greater Tucson Leadership is a Qualified Charitable Organization (QCO Code: 22761). Arizona taxpayers can redirect up to $506 (single) or $1,009 (married filing jointly) of their 2026 state tax liability to TYLA — a dollar-for-dollar credit on the taxes you already owe.
Your investment supports:
Evidence-based assessments (Gallup Strengths, Myers-Briggs Strong Interest Survey)
Professional career panelists and site coordination
Job shadow placements and employer partnerships
Leadership retreat programming and materials
Student stipends and graduation celebrations
INTERESTED IN TYLA
Interested in a program or initiative? Connect with us.
Fill out our program interest form by clicking here.
