C A MP US
ne
Eagle Experts Program Makes Big Impact on Campus
BY SAMAN THA HARGROVE
KENYA HOMSLEY AND JAMAAL SEARCY may come from two different parts of North Carolina, but their experiences on the campus have helped them grow closer and form a special bond. Homsley and Searcy are two members of the newest class of Eagle Experts – a student-leadership and peer-mentoring program that began in 2015 under the Department of Student Engagement and Leadership. The program offers personal and professional development training and a host of activities that prepare these students for a vigorous year of service. This summer, 42 NCCU students participated in the Eagle Experts Student Leadership Institute – a weeklong intensive training experience that exposed students to topics such as, servant leadership, ethics and decisionmaking, business etiquette and teambuilding. “It was the best training I’ve ever had,” said Homsley, a native of Charlotte, N.C., who’s majoring in biology/pre-med and minoring in chemistry. She also serves through several other campus organizations, including Science African-American Majors Evolving, and as the Miss Eagle Ambassador for 2016-17. Searcy agreed. “This experience really helped me find out who I really am,” he said. “We were placed in very intense team-building exercises that challenged us and pushed us. I really believe it brought the best out of all us.” Searcy is a native of Walnut Cove, N.C., and is majoring in criminal justice. He is currently Mister Sophomore 2016-17 and serves as an orientation leader.
12
NCCU NOW FALL 2016
STUDENTS GET INTENSE LEADERSHIP TRAINING IN PREPARATION FOR PEER MENTORING JOB
Training sessions provided through the program, such as a ropes course and motivational seminars, helped both students learn things about themselves and each other. “This was a new experience,” Searcy said. “We didn’t have people just lecturing to us. We were able to open up and talk about our own experiences in life. We were put into situations and given obstacles that we had to overcome. And we did it together.” “We even cried,” added Homsley. “These [students] are like my family now. We all made a connection, first with ourselves and then with one another.” According to Orok Orok, acting director for Student Engagement and Leadership, the goal of the leadership institute is to provide a deeper level of training and development for the participants. “We didn’t want this to be a traditional training with talking heads,” Orok said. “Our goal was to give them access to the leadership traits that are already within them. This is the type of connection that creates great alumni. I feel confident that they will serve the university well.” The Eagle Experts program was created under the leadership Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Miron P. Billingsley, Ed.D., and developed by Toya Corbett, Ph.D., former Student Engagement and Leadership executive director who recently became the university’s dean of students. “We wanted our students to get leadership experience early on in their college career,” Billingsley said. “It is a dynamic and unique