Introduction Purpose and Goals: The Leadership Institute was founded by the New England Educational Opportunity Association (NEOA) in response to what the organization regarded as the most serious need of our members. While TRiO personnel benefit from professional trainings offered by the U.S. Department of Education and the annual conferences sponsored by COE and NEOA, there are few opportunities for them to enroll in intensive professional development institutes designed specifically for those working with low-‐income, first-‐generation college students. This type of training is especially needed for young professionals who are ready to make a long-‐term commitment to TRiO programs and who have potential to become leaders in the Educational Opportunity cause, but who need specific training in leadership skills. As you know, many corporations have recently realized the benefit of such training for their rising executives and spend large sums to offer such opportunities to their employees. By having NEOA sponsor such training, and by making use of our contacts (both at our host institutions and through former NEOA leaders and our larger network who share our cause and values), we are able to offer an exceptionally rich experience to those who enroll in the Institute. Our main objective in each year-‐long institute is to help each individual to fulfill their full potential as a TRiO professional. For some this has meant taking on a larger role within their host institution. Others have branched out as leaders in their community. Still others have become involved in NEOA and made a national mark by advocating for TRiO in regional and national forums. The topics that are covered include understanding one’s own leadership style, public speaking, running effective meetings, working with diversity, personal leadership, leadership in action, effective feedback, and organizational development. This Year: Serving as Director of the Leadership Institute was a bit daunting and exciting in having to fill the shoes of those who’d served before and wanting the experience to merit the feedback from previous graduates. It has been a very satisfying experience to say the least. This group was a lively, dedicated, spirited and motivated group. We had 15 participants start and 14 complete. They came from Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine and represented ETS, SSS, Upward Bound, and GEAR UP. Evaluations showed that objectives were met and everyone, including myself, found it to be a most rewarding experience! We met three times and each session was planned to run from noon on Wednesday through noon on Friday. We met during the second week in November at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn, Maine. Topics included the DISC Behavioral Inventory, Organizational Development and Team Building, and an evening of TRiO trivia. Our presenters were Dr. Douglas Johnson of the University of Maine at Orono (who has almost achieved tenure with the LI!) who worked with the group and the DISC inventory, and Paul Mentag of the Maine Institute for Civic Leadership. Paul presented on Organizational Development theories and did some experiential exercises and team building with the group.
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The second session was held during a furious New England snow storm at the Hulburt Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont the third week of 2011. Presenters included Steve Jonas (former ETS counselor from VSAC now head of Concentus Consulting) and Tim Lybarger (independent consultant from northern Vermont). Topics included Leadership in Action and Creating Your Own Personal Mission Statement (Tim) and Running Effective Meetings and Requesting, Giving, and Receiving Feedback (Steve). This session ended early as a result of weather and driving conditions so Friday morning activities were cancelled. Our third and final session was held at the Essex Conference Center in Essex , Massachusetts and was held during the first week of March. Topics for this session included Working with Diversity and Leadership and Public Speaking. Presenters were Lisa Slade (a former ETS counselor with CONNTAC and now in private practice and teaching as an adjunct at three different colleges!) and former president of NEOA and now director of the JFK Presidential Library, Tom Putnam. We also had dinner and an evening chat with Dr. Charles Desmond, who spoke with us about Educational Opportunity and Social Justice and the role of Leadership. Charlie shared his own story and much history of NEOA. Additionally all participants did presentations for their LI colleagues on books that they had read over the last three months pertaining to leadership. Homework also included all participants completing their own personal mission statements. They will also benefit from a workshop session with Dr Arnold Mitchem at the NEOA conference in April in Portland. To see this group come together, to share a common experience, take emotional risks, bond and become so close and supportive was a pleasure that one rarely gets to experience or take part in. We had skilled, wonderful presenters but the energy put forth by the participants is what made this year long experience full, rich, and deeply satisfying.
Thank you, class of 2010-‐2011.
Sigh Searles, Director
I signed up for the Leadership Institute because I was looking for an opportunity to learn more about, well, leadership. Duh. I currently work with students in middle and high schools as a Talent Search counselor for the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC). I have held formal management and leadership roles in the past, however, and the Leadership Institute seemed a good way to reflect on what I have learned in the past, what I can do better in my current role, and how I can help my organization excel at assisting students and their families. My career path has been, like many of us in the 21st century, more zig-‐zag than straight path. I worked in outdoor and experiential education for many years and assisted groups of all kinds, from elementary school students to college students, from non-‐profit staff groups to corporate teams, examine how they work together and how leadership affects them as individuals and as groups. I directed an outdoor education center before moving into the world of higher education. At Goddard College I directed the Work Program—assisting students, faculty and staff with the campus wide jobs program—and coordinated service learning and career services. After that I came to VSAC, first advising people in the walk-‐in Resource Center regarding education planning and financing, and then as manager of that center. When I had the chance to work with the Outreach program counseling students in schools, I jumped at the chance. The Leadership Institute has been a great opportunity to meet a diverse and amazing group of people. I learned a lot from our presenters, sure; they offered instruction and guidance on all kinds of topics that I found useful and engaging. My fellow participants, however, inspired me the most. Getting their perspectives and hearing their stories helped me to expand my own thinking and, in the end, become a better counselor and a better leader. Being around such a great group of people, who all wanted to learn something new, was invaluable. I came away from the Leadership Institute refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges of my work anew. Plus, it was a lot of fun. Great people, interesting and relevant topics, and a fun learning environment—now that’s what I’m talking about.
Beagle Bourgault
Georgiana S. Chevry is a Haitian-‐American first-‐generation innovative multilingual higher education administrator with expertise in the areas of college admissions, financial aid, life coaching, and career services. She holds a bachelors degree in Sociology from Trinity College and Masters in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University. She specializes in helping students and families enter into and complete college or find meaningful and gainful employment opportunities. She is well versed in FERPA, ADA, OSHA, OEO, and Title III issues. Georgiana knows from personal experiences how hard it is for a first-‐generation student to navigate the college preparation, application and completion process, on the undergraduate and graduate levels. She is also very aware and sensitive to the needs of the parents and extended family that also become involved in a first-‐generation student’s college preparation and completion process. She also brings to her administration, counseling and coaching techniques researched based learning strategies from her experience as a Lactation Consultant and Birth Doula.
Her career as a higher education administrator began over ten years ago as a Resident Assistant at Trinity College. Over the course of three years, she learned about student development theory as it relates to First-‐, Second-‐ and Senior-‐Year Experiences; academic persistence in college; social issues facing college students, in particular international and students of color. In her student leadership role, she also was exposed to faculty-‐in-‐residence programs with the dawn of service-‐based learning classrooms on the college level. In the past seven years, she has worked at various administrator roles at liberal arts colleges and universities such as Harvard University, Tufts University and Mount Holyoke College.
Currently, Georgiana serves as the Program Director for Passport, SAT and Keys2College programs at Boston Higher Education Resource Center. All college programs are faith-‐based and predominantly serve low-‐income and first-‐generation students in the greater Boston area, including Boston Public High Schools (BPS). In this role, she enjoys developing curriculum, engaging students and parents in the college preparation and completion process. She is most proud of her entrepreneurial spirit that has forged powerful partnership with local Boston high schools, colleges and universities to provide resources and connections for the students in Boston HERC’s college programs.
As a participant of NEOA Leadership Institute (LI) 2010-‐2011, Georgiana has been exposed to the diverse systems of delivery for college access programs, had the opportunity to engage in stimulating conversation and presentations with colleagues doing similar work, and learn about the social justice mission of college access on the state and federal levels. While the commitment to NEOA LI is significant, the residual reward is more that she could have anticipated. Her colleagues have now become friends, allies, and sounding boards for her professional growth and development. As a direct outgrowth of her participating in NEOA LI, Georgiana looks forward to increasing her involvement in the policies that impact institutions of higher learning and K-‐12 education.
Georgiana Chevry
As I define success, I often envision a common goal shared between the development of abilities and the achievement of possibilities. As I looked back at the beginning of this Leadership Institute, my goal was simply to mentally capture a feeling of success. You see, I did not only hope to feel, I hoped for something so stimulating, that would allow me to mentally and tangibly set this Leadership Institute apart from other effective professional development opportunities. My success within this Leadership Institute was solely measured on my ability to develop and enhance a leadership style so dynamic that it would create a pathway into a new role, position, or professional advancement. My journey to LI 2010-‐2011 started when I was just a young boy, growing up in the historic community of Roxbury, Mass. It was then I had realized that in order for me to reach any level of success I had to step outside of my everyday inner circle and do more than what was evident and visible around me. That realization led me to and through college at Fitchburg State University and into the career field of education. This was a bit different for me because in school my studies focused around Business Administration and Management, so the education field was not in alignment with my academic background, but it was certainly in alignment with my personal background. I became passionately aware of the impact I could have doing this line of work. I substitute taught for a while before I landed a position with a federally funded college access program called GEAR UP. This was amazing, that I, as a low-‐income first generation minority, was put into a position to assist and lead other low-‐income and first generation students in the same community/neighborhoods I grew up in, this was not only faith, this was God’s plan/path for me. The GEAR UP program opened up many avenues of growth and development for me. I became heavily involved in the mission and vision of what GEAR UP stood for, and began to become more than just an employee helping students achieve, I became a believer in the idea that all students can and will have high expectations, study hard, and take the right courses and plan of action to go to college. In fact I came to a point where I believed that I and the program I worked for could be doing more for kids that did not receive our services in the community. I envisioned that every youth should be a part of the GEAR UP program, and if not GEAR UP then Talent Search, Upward Bound, or some sort of other TRIO or college bound program, but that was just not a reality. The more great work I saw done within the respected TRIO and GEAR UP programs in which I worked and collaborated with the more I realized that this was a missing opportunity for others. When this Leadership Institute opportunity surfaced in my email, I thought this would be a great way to become more involved within these college access programs on a larger scale, to observe others across
Rashad O. Cope
different programs and states and see if there was an opportunity to do more. So I filled out the application with the intent to take a deeper look inside of my own facilitative leadership style and to learn where I am being effective and what areas I need to improve or develop to grow in order to help other youth within the community I live on a larger scale. My overall experience within this institute was ultimately successful. I was given the opportunity to make some connections with some great individuals whose passion from all different ranges have ignited and resonated with me. With his quiet leadership style, Sigh Searles, the Director of the Institute, had done a fantastic job with the selection of topics and the selection of professionals to carry out and magnify a meaning of those topics. I was overly impressed with the level of acceptance that was shared throughout the institute, this made for a very rich and dynamic experience. In closing, I would certainly say that my success as mentioned earlier was positively achieved as I have recently parted ways with the TRIO/GEAR UP community to become the Director of the Mattahunt Community Center with Wheelock College. Although I will not continue to work for TRIO/GEAR UP I will now be in a position to look at ways to lead and leverage the resources and work that TRIO/GEAR UP does on a larger scale that could potentially touch the lives of more youth in the community I work.
My name is Shawn Graham and I work at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. My entire professional experience has been in the helping profession. I worked in non-‐profit social work for approximately 12 years before joining the Student Support Services team at the University of Maine at Fort Kent a number of years ago. Currently, I am nearing completion of my graduate degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with a focus on disability studies. Once my degree is completed, I will be licensed as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. I have always had a strong desire to support others while they pursue their goals. As a result of my own personal and professional experiences, I have developed a strong commitment to inclusion and Universal Design. Participating in the NEOA Leadership Institute has been a positive learning experience that has strengthened my resolve to support others and my ability to advocate for those we serve. Not only has it rejuvenated my focus and passion, but it has also facilitated my personal growth which will allow me to become more effective in my work. While I have been supporting others for a number of years, it wasn’t until I joined the TRiO community that I found true meaning in my work. I am thankful to be a part of such a strong and committed community. I would like to thank Sigh, the Maine Educational Opportunity Association and my program for supporting me in this excellent opportunity. I would also like to extend my appreciation to everyone who participated in the LI for, without them, it would not have been so inspiring. I encourage anyone who has an interest in personal growth and furthering the educational opportunities of the students we work with to participate in the Leadership Institute. Thank you!
Shawn Graham
Although I was not a first-‐generation college student, my mother was not born in this country and I have witnessed some of the same struggles that first-‐generation and low-‐income students face. When coming to this country, my family worked in factories and sweat-‐shops to survive, even though my grandmother held a college degree. My grandmother spoke broken English, which precluded her from using her degree in 1950s America. English was a second language in our family and we identified ourselves as foreigners. We learned Ukrainian at home, even attending “Ukrainian school” on weekends, while learning English in school. When I was younger, I felt that this difference set me apart from my peers and rarely brought friends home. I knew we were different. Now, I realize how lucky I was to grow up in this environment. It has enriched my life and taught me the value of education. I graduated from Castleton State College with a Bachelor’s in History and within six months of graduation, found myself in a classroom teaching high school history and theology at a small, Catholic high school in Vermont. During my eighteen months at the school, we had three principals, which created a lot of tension and unrest. As soon as I read of an opening at Castleton in a program called Upward Bound, I leapt at the chance to apply. I knew little of UB or TRiO, but I knew I wanted to help kids realize their dreams of a college education,” the great equalizer.” I understood the power of education to transform lives from poor immigrants to successful middle-‐class Americans, and wanted to share this with others. That was 2004, when I was hired as Assistant Director of a brand-‐new Upward Bound grant. Within two years, my Director Khara O’Connell moved on and I was fortunate to be hired as Director. I leaned so much from Khara and am very grateful for our work together. She laid the foundation of our culture and principles, and so much of her influence is still present in our program. Now it is 2011 and unbelievably, I am getting ready to start my eighth summer with Upward Bound at Castleton. I am fortunate enough to have worked with every student that was ever in our program and have witnessed so many transformations. We finally had college graduates in 2010 and one even returned last year to work on our summer staff, bringing things full-‐circle for me. As I sit back now and reflect on the Leadership Institute, I feel personally transformed. I am grateful for Sigh’s steady leadership and for the opportunity to learn from my colleagues. There was so much wisdom and passion in our group that sometimes it was almost uncontainable, ready to burst out (Brian!). I believe that we were all recharged in our missions with TRiO and Gear Up, and am hopeful that each and every one of us brings that back with us to our work and to NEOA. Thank you again to my amazing colleagues and our supportive leader for a wonderful experience!
Jennifer Jones
Hello! My name is Sajeda Khalifa and I have been working as an Advisor/Academic Support Facilitator for the Middlesex Community College TRiO Upward Bound Program at Lowell High School for the last six years. Prior to joining Middlesex, I worked for the UMass Boston Upward Bound Program in numerous positions from being a tutor, dorm counselor, teacher, to Senior Counselor. It’s hard to believe that as I reflect writing about myself, Upward Bound has been part of my life for over a decade and I continue to enjoy working with our diverse student population. I am originally from India and I immigrated to United States when I was ten years old. My parents took an enormous step leaving behind everything for me and my four siblings to have a better life than they had experienced. When I came to America, I did not know one word of English and never met people who were very different in every way than my own kind. Introducing to diversity and new culture in America, brought me many new insights and taught me to appreciate differences. Through the support of many wonderful teachers, mentors, and friends, I was the first one in my family to graduate from a four-‐year college, UMass Boston, with major in Psychology/Education. As I reflect upon my years at UMass Boston, I can surely say that UMass was my second home. I say this because this was where I spent my undergraduate years studying and working to achieve “The American Dream.” Coming from a low-‐income family, as I entered my first year of college after completing the DSP Summer Program, I was recruited into the Student Support Services. Had I not been in this program, I wouldn’t have had the resources to get through college. I was also very lucky to land my first job as a work-‐study student at Upward Bound on this campus. Little did I know that this first job would actually turn into my career profession. This is where I encountered many wonderful experiences working with students who were also from low-‐income families and a first-‐generation background. Having been through similar experiences that many program participants went through, it allowed me to share the resources that were given to me. Throughout the years with Upward Bound, I could really say that I had met my second family in everyway. I met wonderful students, mentors, and co-‐workers who really became my friends for life. I had to make tough decision to leave UMass Upward Bound as summer residential program was hard to commit to after having two young girls and third one (a boy) that was on its way. Leaving a second family was hard to do, but coincidentally, Upward Bound still remained as part of my life’s journey. As I closed one door, another door opened up for me and I landed at the Middlesex Upward Bound Program. With the same work that I enjoyed, a little more flexibility in the work hours, non-‐residential summer programs (except one week), and a close commute to home, I couldn’t believe I was at the right place, right time! Once again, with the support of my work colleagues, I have learned to polish up my skills and learn many tools that I hadn’t acquired which has helped me to provide better services to our students. My Program Director and Assistant Director continued to support my growth by encouraging my attendance at many professional development opportunities such as NEOA and MEOA conferences. It was through one of these workshops, I came to learn more about Leadership Institute and decided to apply. Past participants
Sajeda Khalifa
and some of my colleagues, who had gone through the training, had wonderful things to say. I thought it was the right time in my life to rejuvenate my inner self. After a decade of providing direct services to our students, I wanted to reflect on my passion, my mission in life, and understand what it really meant to me to be a true leader.
Being part of the 2010-‐2011 Leadership Institute with other fourteen fellows has been one of the most fascinating experiences I have experienced. Through the NEOA Leadership Institute, I gained self confidence by strengthening and enhancing my personal qualities I bring to work everyday, learned strategies to communicate effectively, and know how to work better with different personality styles and how to work cohesively as a team. In addition, the training sessions gave me the time to reflect on my everyday skills and made me realize my own leadership potential. I learned that I may not be a leader who makes all the changes in the world, but I am a leader who does little things by setting a good example in my role at my work, in my home, or in my community. I can say that I am a team-‐player and by me lending a hand to someone, I may influence that person to lend theirs to someone else. Lastly, the Leadership Institute has inspired me to stand up for what I believe in, speak up for things that I see are unfair, and fight for equal opportunities for all, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they look like.
I am coming into my third year as Assistant Director of the Upward Bound Program in the Office of Academic Access & Opportunity at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk was awarded its first of two TRIO Grants, Upward Bound and McNair, in December of 2007. Since then, the University was also awarded a Veterans Upward Bound grant in 2009. As the first and current Assistant Director of the program I have had the opportunity to experience both the excitement and struggles of starting a new, and at times, unfamiliar program on a college campus. I now celebrate the struggles I experienced, because it helped me to see how much I value working with students in their pursuit of a higher education. I certainly feel blessed to say that I appreciate and enjoy all aspects of my position: our students, my co-‐workers, the TRIO community, and professional development opportunities. Every day with Upward Bound is different. We cannot always predict what is in store for us tomorrow or next week, whether it is a student or school issue or funding. Our flexibility and willingness to adapt to change is driven by the desire to see our students succeed. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing students realize their potential. Our Suffolk Upward Bound Team, Keren Zuniga, Michelle Lynch, Marty Elmore and Ryan Robert, consistently focus on how we can improve our services to best fit the needs of our students, so that they can realize their potential. While passion will drive your desire to work, it does not always dictate how successful one can be in their work. I see how important strong leadership skills are in the TRIO community, not only leadership of staff and students, but also personal leadership and the ability to use leadership skills to advocate for programming. I saw the Leadership Institute as a way to develop and sharpen my skills as a new leader. What I appreciated most about the institute was the relevancy of the workshops to the work we all do each day. Topics such as decision making, running effective meetings, giving and receiving feedback and the DISC inventory helped me to identify areas that I could improve upon. Being in the Leadership Institute, with Sigh Searles as our leader and friend, was undoubtedly the best professional development I have ever participated in. Throughout the Leadership Institute I thought often of my students and how I could model the same learning environment, group spirit, and personal relationships in our summer program. From the Institute, I take away not only ideas for personal improvement, but also ways to share my experience with my students. Thank you to Sigh and all the members of the 2011 Leadership Institute for a memorable and rewarding experience!
Maria Muccio
Hello, my name is Brian Post and I currently serve as the Associate Director of Upward Bound at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. As someone who considers himself to be a lifelong learner, I chose to attend the Leadership Institute to continue on that path, to examine some new approaches to leadership and maybe do some self-‐reflection along the way. I also am someone who enjoys interacting with people, so I was looking forward to meeting other TRiO professionals and forming some new relationships from different parts of the region. The Leadership Institute lived up to all of my expectations and more! It forced all of the participants to reflect on their own personalities and interaction styles, while at the same time giving us some tools to take back to our workplace. I think all of us were surprised how much these sessions gave us insight into how we interact with others and what we can do to improve our performance. All of the presenters were chosen well by Sigh and each offered their own unique approach to leadership through their many years of experience. Educational opportunity for all has always been at the forefront of my professional career and is also at the core of the TRiO community’s mission. Each passing year we face new challenges within our own states and regions, as well as on the national level. TRiO has survived this long because of its leaders being vocal and making our success stories known. During the last session of the Leadership Institute, we had the opportunity to hear from Charlie Desmond, who told us loud and clear that the next generation of leaders need to emerge. He shared his remarkable personal story as well as his history within TRiO, and inspired every one of us to carry on this mission. I feel that the Leadership Institute is a very unique opportunity within NEOA and would recommend it to anyone who wants to challenge themselves personally and continue to grow professionally. I would like to thank our fearless leader Sigh Searles for coordinating the Institute and creating an environment in which everyone was comfortable and able to share his/her self safely. I would like to leave you with a quote from someone very wise:
“Those who want to leave an impression for one year should plant corn; those who want to leave an impression for ten years should plant a tree; but those who want to leave an impression for 100 years should educate a human being.” Good luck to all future Leadership Institute participants-‐it was worth it!
Brian Post
Currently I work for Mount Wachusett Community College as a Middle School Coordinator for the GEAR UP program. I have been with the GEAR UP program at MWCC in one capacity or another since the start of the first cohort in 1999. Over the years I have had many titles with GEAR UP from Liaison, to Academic Counselor, to Resource Specialist, and now Middle School Coordinator. Regardless of the title I held the thing I enjoyed most and continue to enjoy is the direct contact with my students. I love to see the impact that we as counselors, mentors and role-‐models have on our students. I am a first generation college student myself. When I was a teenager I was that long shot student that everyone talks about. My family was that low-‐ income family that was surrounded by alcoholism, drug abuse and poverty. I had to overcome what many people would consider insurmountable odds to get where I am today. Had it not been for my exposure to programs with goals similar to GEAR UP and the connections I made with caring adults who showed me the importance of education I would not be where I am today. It was the experiences that I had in those programs that shaped me and inspired me to want to give back and do what I do now. I love the opportunity to open eyes and to teach others about the importance of higher education. The unique thing that I love about my job that is different from others in this field is that I am able to work with and follow my kids from middle school into high school and ultimately see them graduate from high school. I get to see kids grow and progress right before my very eyes. It is so rewarding to provide students with the support, encouragement, and guidance that they need to achieve their goals. Many of the students that I end up working with on a regular basis end up having a similar background to my own and I can relate to them. It can definitely be disheartening at times when a kid has great potential and doesn’t take the necessary steps or accept the support and guidance offered to help them succeed, but it’s the ones that do achieve their goals that makes the work we do so rewarding! There were several things that influenced my decision to embark on the Leadership Institute journey. First, I had heard nothing but great things about the experiences of past Leadership Institute attendees. Second, I definitely needed to develop greater expertise and skills as a leader as well as build more confidence in my leadership abilities. In all honesty the third and possibly one of the biggest reasons I decided to apply to and attend the Leadership Institute was because I was strongly encouraged to do so by my colleagues and supervisors.
I had been with the GEAR UP program for many years and had attained many skills, but I still needed to take a bigger step professionally. It was actually perfect timing for me to apply for Leadership Institute because at the start of the new school year we were awarded a new GU grant and I was asked to consider taking on a new position as a middle school coordinator. There was no better time to learn to grow more as a leader.
Leadership Institute was everything I needed it to be and more. Attendees participated in workshops that explored different types of leadership, differences between teams and working groups, facilitating an
Anthony Semidey
effective meeting, giving and receiving feedback, developing a personal mission statement, diversity training, public speaking, and DISC training that identified different behavioral styles. They were all essential and beneficial especially in my new role, but the DISC behavioral style workshop was one of my favorites. I would recommend it to all of my colleagues and staff. It goes a long way to helping people understand their own behaviors and that of others and highlights the best way to interact with each style.
Not only did we participate in a multitude of leadership workshops, but we always left our LI sessions with assignments to complete for the next session. My favorite assignment which had the greatest impact on me was to read a book on leadership and to do a 15 minute presentation to the rest of the group. The knowledge that I gained from reading my book, presenting to the group and listening to the others as they presented on their books has given me a hunger to continue reading and learning about leadership and being the most effective I can be. As the Leadership Institute comes to an end I leave with new perspective, new vision, and new hunger. I want to learn more, reach higher, and never settle. I now know that if I don’t have a vision for myself others will lead me.
Leadership Institute has been one of if not the greatest professional development experiences for me ever. I would recommend it to anyone committed to personal growth and making higher education accessible to all. It was a pleasure to network and bond with all of the 2011 Leadership Institute participants. Thank you all for the experience! We all came from different levels in our organizations and from different walks of life, but we all had something to teach each other. Always strive to do more; to be more. I’d like to leave you with a phrase that was burned in my mind from Dr. Charles Desmond, “We can’t get there with what got us here”.
I’ve been in the field of education for over fifteen years. My body of work cuts across primary and secondary education, human resources and higher education. Mentoring and advising was a common strain that ran through these various industries.
I began my career with TRIO in 2008. Currently, I am the Education Advisor for the TERI Upward Bound Program at Brockton High School. In this role, I am responsible for the day to day operations of our year long program that culminates with a six week intensive summer college residential program. Chief among my duties is to provide academic and career counseling for the students in our program. In collaboration with the faculty and staff at Brockton High School and Bridgewater State College, I have provided opportunities for my students to explore many new, exciting and challenging careers.
The Leadership Institute has ignited an awareness in me that allowed me to acknowledge, understand and respect individual differences. I learned that a leader should routinely seek out various strategies to support individual and group dynamics at every level. I strongly believe that leaders who highlight and acknowledge differences in a positive light, ultimately leads to a stronger more cohesive environment. I also learned that identifying different approaches to performance adds support to helping everyone achieve success and will enable each individual to make the most of their potential. The Leadership Institute was a GREAT experience. It has given me the opportunity to interact with fifteen awesome individuals that I may not have met otherwise. The presenters and facilitator shared and imparted their wisdom and personal experiences which made being a participant of the Institute even more memorable.
In the spirit of TRIO, I will continue to seek opportunities to share my knowledge and resources and to guide my students in the right direction. I believe that every student should have the opportunity to achieve excellence and to acquire knowledge that is life changing. I will continue to promote educational values and differences to the highest esteem and I am dedicated to delivering effective advising characterized by a life-‐long learning. Students are the center of my work and they are faced with many challenges within the school systems and their communities. Therefore, we must continue the work that we do and become more successful at educating and serving the needs of our students.
My experience in education has allowed me the opportunity to provide awareness through various academic, career and culturally woven events and activities. It is my hope to motivate and guide students to discover what truly inspires them and create an environment that will help them to reach their fullest potential.
Lecia Sligh
I am Clyde Stats, and I am the Assistant Director of Academic Support Services at Johnson State College, an SSS TRIO program. My work centers around face-‐to-‐face service with a range of students from at-‐risk first-‐ and second-‐year students to adult students in the External Degree Program. I help them adapt to college academic and social life, choose courses, select a major, investigate career options, and generally provide advice to help them negotiate the maze of requirements and regulations that are part of the post-‐secondary experience. I also manage our department’s technological resources, assist the Director in supervising the staff, create most of the department’s publications and communications, and assist the Learning Specialist in serving students with disabilities. My job is fast-‐paced and ever-‐changing, and challenges me to continually learn new skills and re-‐evaluate existing ones. I must admit, however, that at times I tend to hit a “plateau.” I get comfortable with the inevitable routine and familiar cycle of tasks that accompany the passing of semesters, and I get restless and “coast.” It was during one of these “plateaus” that I finally acted on my Director’s suggestion that I participate in the NEOA Leadership Institute. My expectations were that I would improve my communication and leadership skills, and that I might actually be motivated to pursue more positions of leadership. To a large extent, this actually happened. During the workshops we delved more deeply into the different types of leadership and how they function within groups. The DISC personal assessment gave me much insight into how I act and react in groups and my preferred modes of communication. The workshop “Running Effective Meetings” also gave me ways to improve my performance in meetings, an essential skill in my position. “Eliciting/Giving/Receiving Feedback” was also very helpful in improving my abilities in these vital areas. I was not prepared, however, for the magnitude of personal growth that I experienced during the Institute. Though I initially resisted it, the process of creating a mission statement opened my eyes to areas of myself that I had previously only sensed the presence of. New connections emerged between parts of my life which had seemed separate. I became aware of several consistent streams of belief and purpose which seemed to inform everything I do, and suggested new directions to take my life in the future. Finally, I was most impressed by the level and depth of group interaction that occurred at the Leadership Institute. 15 strangers from different walks of life came together, and over the course of 6 days formed strong bonds of support and camaraderie. This was by far the best group experience I’ve ever had. Thank you, Sigh, for organizing and facilitating this; and thanks to all the participants of the 2011 NEOA Leadership Institution for making this such a memorable and valuable experience! I hope to see you all in Burlington at the Discover Jazz Festival in June!
Clyde Stats
Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee, instead of making the universe a blind alley. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson I have been the Program Coordinator for the Wheelock College Upward Bound program for the past three years. I consider myself extremely fortunate, because I began working for Wheelock at the very beginning of our grant. We started from the ground up so it has been lot of hard work, but I have learned so much and gained a lot of valuable experience. It’s been such a wonderful journey and I really enjoy the work that we do. As a new comer to TRIO, part of what influenced my decision to take part in the NEOA Leadership Institute was a desire to learn from my peers. Our program is new and I wanted to learn about ways to improve our program design from TRIO veterans. Another reason I decided to apply was a desire to become a better leader. Tolstoy once said “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Sometimes we can become so focused on what we do, that we don’t take time to assess who we are. The Leadership Institute was truly a blessing. I have definitely learned from the experience and applied what we learned into my work and everyday life. One thing that I found really helpful was the DISC assessment. Who knew that such a relatively short questionnaire could be so accurate! It really helped me pinpoint my blind spots and identify what’s important to me professionally and personally. I also really enjoyed the workshops on communication and feedback. It was nice to be able to run things by my peers and it helped me improve the way I communicate. As a result of the Leadership Institute I was also able to pinpoint my leadership style and realized that I was a servant leader. I found that to be helpful in pinpointing areas of weakness and effectiveness. Furthermore, I was able to learn about other programs and gain a better perspective on the different types of TRIO programs. We can become very plugged into our individual programs so it was nice to be able to see TRIO as a family. If you are thinking about applying for the next Leadership Institute I would highly recommend it!
Jasmine Toussaint
I have been an advisor for the Educational Talent Search program with TERI, Inc. since October of 2006. Prior to that, I worked within the Boston Public School system in a few different capacities. My life’s work and passion has been to help young men and women realize and fulfill their educational dreams and personal life goals. Working with ETS and TRIO has allowed me to continue doing what I love and more. It has allowed me to give my students exposure to people, places, and things of which they may have never had the opportunity to experience; experiences which will last with them forever. I first learned of the Leadership Institute while attending the NEOA conference last year. After listening to past participants share their experiences I felt that participating in the institute would be the perfect opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and to network with TRIO colleagues from different programs and strengthen my leadership skills. Deciding to participate in the institute was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I truly received all that I expected and much more. Interacting and learning from other TRIO professionals reinvigorated me! I not only learned from my colleagues but I created meaningful and lasting bonds. I now feel more confident; more connected. I have gained new energy to continue this great work that we all do. Lastly, I would like to thank Sigh for sharing his passion and imparting his wisdom.
Tamika Williams
I have worked as a GEAR UP Outreach Counselor at VSAC serving middle and high school students in northern Vermont for the past ten years. Prior to that I worked as a Guidance Counselor in the public schools. When I was a student in the sixties and seventies, there was a powerful movement sweeping across the country of hope, change and social justice. I
knew then that I wanted to be a part of it; to make a difference in the lives of others. I wanted to give a voice to the children and their families who weren’t being heard.
My parents had both dropped out of college making me the first in my family to complete my college education. I was blessed to grow up in a community where higher education was valued and at a time when college was more affordable but I recognized that this opportunity wasn’t available to every American. Many didn’t have the resources or people in their lives to support such endeavors. I was so fortunate to become a part of VSAC whose mission is to support Vermonters in their pursuit of higher education and where I am surrounded by genuinely caring and supportive colleagues. And more importantly, I have the opportunity to watch my students grow from middle schoolers to seniors and to achieve their goals. It’s this time of year, when my students are getting their acceptance letters and financial aid packages that makes my work so rewarding. I applied to the Leadership Institute hoping to learn more about myself and my leadership style; to get to know others in NEOA and learn about other TRiO programs; to reexamine and explore my personal and professional goals; and to come away rejuvenated and inspired. The Leadership Institute offered exactly that and so much more. I worked and played with a fabulous group of colleagues who are so passionate about their work. The passion was contagious. The variety of workshops was thought provoking and because most of the presenters had at one time been a part of the TRiO community, extremely relevant. Charlie Desmond in particular, reminded all of us why the work we do continues to be so important. Thank you to Sigh for providing a safe forum from which we were able to share and practice. I’ve come away invigorated and grateful to have been a part of the Leadership Institute and to have met such a wonderful group of people. NEOA is composed of such a rich and diverse group of professionals who do this important work! Thanks to all of you!
Ellen Wright
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