LaRachelle Smith (PVAMU Class of ’94), who is now director of Marketing, Communications, and IT within the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS), began her career as a project engineer with the Boeing Company’s International Space Station Program at NASA. Dr. Danielle Hairston-Green received her doctoral degree from PVAMU. But, before attending PVAMU, Danielle served as an elected official in her home state of Pennsylvania and transferred her skills to developing leadership programs for teens that groomed them for the political arena. Throughout both of their careers, these ladies recognized the importance of leadership skills for professional growth and advancement. As a result, they started the Student Leadership Apprentice Program (SLAP) within CAHS.
The idea emerged as a project, focused primarily on students affiliated with CAHS. The project would help students realize their career potential after graduation and chart their path as influencers around the globe. The program also embodied the vision of the college’s five-year strategic plan and aided in carrying out the imperative to becoming a Gateway to Opportunity.” With support from other CAHS administrators, LaRachelle and Danielle co-founded the SLAP program to emphasize the importance of the C5E—a concept developed by Danielle at the completion of her dissertation entitled, “Perceptions of Agriculture Leaders on the Value of Non-Cognitive Skills Related to Early Success in the Agriculture Industry.” The C5E skills include Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Conflict Management, Critical Thinking, and Ethics. The mission of SLAP is to impart the knowledge of seasoned leaders and experts to students at 1890 land-grant universities while preparing them with self-awareness and real-world experiences before graduation to become the game changers of tomorrow.
Many former apprentices started great careers and now attribute a part of their success to the skills they acquired from the SLAP program. Miranda Clark participated in 2015, and she is now a lead veterinary technician at Thrive Affordable Vet Care. The same year, Tajah Revoir completed the program, and after graduation, she secured a position at Accenture, a management consultant company. Johnathan Williams, class of 2016, started his career working with policymakers on Capitol Hill in Austin, Texas. Ayesha Rodgers was accepted into AmeriCorps’ Teach for America organization and started her teaching career in the Dallas Independent School District. Just this year, Meshia Greer landed a job with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) where she will prepare for licensing as a commissioned financial institution specialist. These are only a few of the success stories, with many yet to come.
The program also gained national attention. Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the USDA, said, “I tip my hat to Prairie View in developing this program. You are going to be one of the pioneers in our nation, particularly, in developing the skills that make students that much more successful.”
Currently, PVAMU is one of only two 1890 land grant systems to implement a project of this scope for agriculturalists, setting PVAMU apart from other HBCU’s. Go Panthers!
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-This story byMeshia Greer originally appeared in Academic Insights.