Alumni

Featured Alumni

Femi Faoye
I-LEAD Class of 2004
Rice H.S graduate
Trinity College Class of '08

A very memorable experience for me occurred during the leadership retreat in my junior year . Our leader that weekend was Rev. Al.  Throughout the weekend, we engaged in several challenging discussions and activities. During one session, Rev. Al recited to us an old proverb, "chop wood and carry water." At the time, I thought I understood what that meant. However, growing up and going through the challenges in college life thus far, this proverb has had more and more importance to me. Very often we want to be successful, but we overlook the little things that it takes to get the job done. Whenever I feel like slacking off, I say the proverb to myself and begin to "chop wood and carry water."

I-LEAD prepared me for college in many ways. Firstly, the SAT prep we received was superb. Taking the review classes definitely had a positive impact on my score for the test. Secondly, the program did a great job of relaying how college life was going to be. With all the lectures and campus visits, when I arrived to Trinity there wasn≠t a shock. I was able to say to myself, "this is what I-LEAD has been preparing me for". And I think compared to many of my peers, my transition period was a lot smoother. Through I-LEAD, I perfected my time management skills, something that is essential to a successful career. I-LEAD also taught me how to deal with stress. Taking on the work of a regular curriculum and I-LEAD work became stressful at times. Now, whenever I feel like I have a lot of work to do, I don't get stressed - I just get it done.

The most valuable lesson I have learned from I-LEAD is to work hard and don't let anybody hold you back from your own success. Program administrators are very encouraging and want to see you be successful. The program helped reinforce to me that hard work will always take you where you want to go.  Without I-LEAD, the obstacle that would have been more difficult, I must say, would be the SAT. The test can be very daunting to many. And if you are unprepared to take the exam, the test can be that much more challenging. I-LEAD gave me the confidence I needed to take the exam and succeed. This is the one thing that I could never repay the program for. It was such an essential piece to my time in high school.

My "pearl of wisdom" to other students would be to remember that you always need to give back. Don't fly up the success ladder and never turn around. You have to remember those who helped you get where you are. This is why I-LEAD will always be dear to me. And one day, I hope to be the chair of the alumni association so that I can lead the movement of those who have been helped, going back and helping others.  I would tell a prospective funder that the "proof is in the pudding". In the next 10-15 years, the program will have some very successful alumni. All of whom can trace a portion of their success to the development they received in the program. I-LEAD is an investment for today, but it's creating wealth for tomorrow.

Liberty Leads Success Story

A profound experience that impacted me while participating in the Liberty program came about when the Scholar Advisory Council sat on a panel along with German Delegates and other educators to discuss youth culture and educational programs.  As a Co-chair of the council, dressed in suit and tie, my colleagues and I (other high school students) shared which aspects of the Liberty program were of great influence, and which issues in our individual schools we were concerned with most.  It was then that I gained a fuller understanding of what it meant to be a representative. I felt as if I were an elected official, or diplomat, addressing social concerns.  I gained a sense of confidence in communicating my opinions, speaking publicly, and found a new worth in the past challenges that I faced, realizing that there was much more to life than what I had already experienced, fueling a passion to advocate for those still suffering in similar school situations.

Through preparatory course work in summer college warm-up programs, Saturday writing classes, SAT prep, and other activities that promote healthy social interaction, having finally gone away to college, I was encouraged to find that the experiences gained from the program fostered a collegiate atmosphere, and naturally I became a leader on campus and among my peers instantaneously.  Liberty cultivated leadership skills that I had not yet realized that I possessed. Liberty did this by creating an environment appropriate for the blossoming and maturation of seeds planted prior, also sowing new seed, and continues to nurture growth even after reaping such great fruit.

The most valuable lesson that I have learned in Liberty and will take with me for the rest of my life is that education is an enjoyable pastime. Once you gain a joy and a passion for learning, success is no longer in question. The question then becomes how far beyond that which others call successful are you willing to accomplish.  

If Liberty were not an intricate part of my life, I would probably not have made it through junior high school, high school, or college.  It was the very act of intervention, and the nurturing support that continued to focus and refocus my vision towards the distant horizon. When I faced road blocks, they showed me the entirety of the road.  When I was ready to give up they mapped out solutions. When I was in despair, they hugged me.  Now in turn, I have a life-long commitment to similar students in need.

As far as the program is concerned, I tell students to love it, enjoy it, embrace it, and then enhance it.

If a monetary value could be placed on the transition of a students≠ socio-economic, and educational position, and compensate the impact and change in the life of that student and in the lives of their families, which investment known to man, would give a greater return?