Darlington alumna Leah Mayo ('11, LD '22), an assistant attorney with the Rome District Attorney's Office, is this year's Outstanding Young Alumna of Presbyterian College.
"I am truly honored to receive this award," said Mayo. "I am looking forward to being back on Presbyterian College's campus on Oct. 22 for the ceremony."
A Quattlebaum Scholar at Presbyterian, she graduated magna cum laude in 2015 with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in English with honors. As an undergraduate, she organized and founded the college's first annual Women's Leadership Conference, worked in the Writing Center as a tutor, and served as the director of social enrichmment for her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi Eta Xi chapter. She was a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society; Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society; Psi Chi, the psychology honor society; Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society; and the Order of Omega, a national Greek organizations honor society.
"I was very fortunate to receive merit scholarships at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and I firmly believe that my preparation from Darlington made all of that possible," said Mayo, who graduated cum laude from Darlington. "I also have to thank Sam Moss ('63) for all of his wisdom, guidance and mentorship, which he graciously continues to give even after I have graduated from Darlington."
Following Presbyterian College, she attended the Mercer University School of Law on the Georgia Scholarship and graduated with her Juris Doctorate in 2018. While in law school, she won an individual award for Best Summation at a Mock Trial Competition; was recognized for her excellence in litigation skills, ethics, and professionalism with the Walker P. Johnson Jr. Award; and was selected as the Most Outstanding Senior of her graduating class. She received the CALI Award for Excellence in Statutory Law, the CALI Award for Excellence in Tort Law and the Lauren Giddings Scholarship.
Now, she is admitted to practice law in all superior courts in the State of Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Georgia.
In addition to her love of the courtroom, Mayo is very involved in her community and was recognized as an Exceptional Young Professional by the Rome-Floyd Chamber in 2021. A graduate of the Rome-Floyd Chamber's Leadership Rome program, she also serves as president of the Rome Area Council for the Arts and volunteers at a local high school, leading sessions for students about college and scholarship applications.
At Darlington, she is a graduate of Leadership Darlington and member of the Alumni Council. She also served as a Career Day speaker at Darlington in February of 2022.
As Mayo reflects on her time at Darlington, where she served as president of the Discipline Committee and class president her junior year, she said the experience helped guide her career path.
"Darlington instilled in me the importance of service to one's community and Presbyterian College futher fostered that notion," she said. "Both Darlington and Presbyterian College reinforce the concept of servant leadership in their mottos: Wisdom More Than Knowledge, Service Beyond Self, Honor Above Everything. Dum Vivimus Servimus: While We Live, We Serve. I felt both of those mottos were a calling. One of my favorite things about my job as an assistant district attorney is that, in this role, I get to serve my community."
