Leading Ladies Inspire Students
Sep 15, 2011
Columbia’s Leading Ladies Give Time and Inspiration to Middle College Students
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| Columbia's Leading Ladies. Front row l to r: Captain Karen Roxberry, Karla McLawhorne Hawkins and Darci Strickland. Back row l to r: MEBA's Kay Barlow, Monica Edwards with Midlands Technical College, Charmeka Bosket, Christine Wells and MEBA's Dr. Kaye Shaw. |
On September 15, 2001, twelve African-American, female students from Midlands Middle College participated in an event that offered not only a look at the past but also a glimpse at their futures. The Leading Ladies Past and Present Field Study, sponsored by Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA) and the Midlands Regional Education Center, allowed these students to learn about and meet with many of the Midlands brightest and most accomplished African American female professionals, learning about their education and career paths and gaining inspiration about what is possible for them.
The students first toured the Modjeska Monteith Simkins House and Mann-Simons Cottage, learning the stories of African-American women from the mid-1800s who led remarkable and impactful lives at a time when social and political barriers were stacked against them.
They then traveled to Benedict College where they met with and heard from some of today’s Leading Ladies including Charmeka Bosket, Deputy Superintendent of Policy and Research with the South Carolina Department of Education; Karla McLawhorn Hawkins, Deputy General Counsel with the South Carolina Department of Education; Captain Karen Roxberry, Company Commander with the US Army at Fort Jackson; Darci Strickland, Evening Anchor with WLTX News 19; and Christine Wells, small business owner, student and community leader.
"The Leading Ladies event was a wonderful opportunity for high school girls to talk with women in various professions and gain greater insight about different routes taken to prepare for careers,” says Karla McLawhorne Hawkins. “I was delighted to have the opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile event and believe that it provided these young ladies with tools to gain a greater insight about the importance of working hard and being determined to reach their goals."
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| Leading Ladies student participants along with representatives from MEBA and Midlands Middle College. |
The students were also treated to lunch at Benedict College, where they met with personnel from guidance and recruiting as well as two student leaders to learn about the many available education opportunities and enrollment process. The students also met with Monica Edwards, a counselor with Midlands Technical College, to learn about degree programs and enrollment and Midlands Technical College.
“Putting together the Leading Ladies Past and Present Field Study was a true labor of love for me,” says Kay Barlow, MEBA’s Community and Parent Education Director. “Nothing is more meaningful than showing a group of bright, young students what is possible. To see the impact this day had, and will have, on these students is powerful.”
Since being founded in 2005, Midlands Middle College has provided a second chance to more than 300 high school students at risk of dropping out by offering focused instruction, personalized career counseling and the extra encouragement they need to be successful. Midlands Middle College has a proven track record of success, with 97% of its students graduating from high school and going on to attend college, acquire professional certification, enter the military or workforce.
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