Lone Star College celebrates graduates

The 2011-2012 class of students who completed the Leadership Lone Star College class were recognized April 20 in the board room of the Lone Star College Training and Development Center.

The class educates and mentors student leaders for roles of leadership to link the school to the community with a goal of developing and enhancing leadership skills. The students meet monthly for six months to explore the local economy, government, arts, culture and more. Participants also received skills training based on the StrengthsQuest program.

"Over the years that I've been involved with the Leadership College program, I have seen it develop into one of the most unique leadership opportunities available to our students," said John Turner, LLSC program coordinator and associate dean of student development and enrollment services at Lone Star College-Kingwood, in a news release.

"The experiential nature of the program, along with the hands-on opportunity to engage civically in a real-world setting, helps to instill in our young leaders the need and desire to become public servants," Turner said. "Regardless of where their lives lead them, the LLSC class members will always remember the value of "giving back" and the social significance of helping others who are less fortunate than they are."

"Volunteerism is just one way we teach students the value of servant leadership," said Kay Fitzsimons, director of Community Leadership Institute for LSCS. "Our goal is to connect students with experiences that can help them become strong leaders."

This year's graduates are Thanhphuong Le, Marc Mann and Damaris Rodriguez from LSC-CyFair; Alex Craniotis, Kelli Cruz, Daniela Gomez and Nancy Gutierrez from LSC-Kingwood; Leya Rinard and Angela Tallant from LSC-Montgomery; Lorrie Gonzalez, Nguyen Nguyen and Victor Ramirez from LSC-North Harris; Rama Hardy, Numaan Ismail and Margaret Mata from LSC-Tomball; and Jacquelyne Burch, Vandaless Bush and Harrison Royalty from LSC-University Park.

Applications for the 2012-2013 program will be available online and through the student life office this summer.