OXFORD, Miss. – The Trent Lott Leadership Institute took the University of Mississippi college experience to the Gulfport last week as a part of the annual Pathways to Leadership Conference.
The conference is a leadership boot camp that offers workshops on leadership and community service and engagement to rising Gulf Coast high school juniors and seniors.
“(T)he conference allows students who may otherwise not be able to attend summer college programs an opportunity to advance their education and skills,” said Melissa Jones, the institute’s associate director.
“Everybody’s journey is different, and we want to reach as many students as we can ... so, we’re bringing campus to them.”
The workshop offered students from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama an opportunity to learn from other community leaders and university professors, including Jody Holland, associate professor of public policy leadership, and J.R. Love, project manager of the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement.
Kathy Springer, CEO of the United Way of South Mississippi, said the students were "thrown into" a group of people they didn't know and "out of their comfort zone.”
Everybody brings something different to the table, she said. "I hope the takeaway" was for them to learn "how to build consensus among groups of ... strangers.”
Maddy Badeaux, a rising senior from Long Beach, enjoyed seeing the different ideas and leadership styles.
“I also saw the value in group discussions from an array of people with different backgrounds. ... it was so cool to see these come together" and make connections.
The purpose of the training is to give rising leaders opportunities to hone their skills and make connections with people in their areas of interest, Jones said.
The first Pathways to Leadership conference in July 2021 served 25 students. This year, that number grew to 30. (University of Mississippi 07/21/23) Leadership Boot Camp Offers UM College Experience to Gulf Coast - Ole Miss News
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