The students came from New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle and Lorain County.
On the LCCC campus this February, 40 students from four regions of the country, gathered for one weekend to kickoff the Katrina Leadership Project. KLP was created by LCCC Arts and Humanities Instructor Malcolm Cash. The students were brought together to talk to each other, local leaders and professors about leadership and responsibility. The goal of KLP is to develop a program that will create opportunities for high school students from the hurricane ravaged areas of New Orleans. In the process, this group of young men and women will be exposed to and develop their own approaches to leadership. Ultimately, it is hoped this program will create leaders across the country.
This summer, the KLP students are planning to spend time in Washington DC and at the United Nations in New York City meeting with some of the most influential people in the world. They are already raising their own money to make their ambitious dreams happen. The program is unique in that it draws students from four regions of the United States, many who have never met before, but all who share the hope of making a difference in being a leader and helping develop leaders.
“I am a child of the storm,” said Taryn Gaines of New Orleans’ Edna Carr High School. Gaines was on the LCCC campus to take part in the KLP. “The storm (Hurricane Katrina) not only destroyed our homes but also, in many cases, the spirit of the people,” she added. “The Katrina Leadership Project will help the young adults of New Orleans by exposing us to mentoring and networking with major people in our country and it will help us learn how to get things done. Having the seminar at LCCC gives us hope.”
To learn more about KLP, please visit LCCC Katrina Leadership Project.