Hostos Leadership Academy and Honors Society Students Help to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From January 20 through the 24 the Hostos Student Leadership Academy (SLA) and the Alpha Kappa Tau Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa National Honors Society (PTK) joined in the National Day of Service to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a series of volunteer activities at two facilities in upper-Manhattan and the Bronx.  These facilities are working diligently to help eradicate hunger in our neighborhoods by providing nourishing and healthy food to residents who express a need.

Members of the Hostos SLA joined forces with the New York Common Pantry, one of New York City’s largest and most active service organizations where families can set up accounts and visit every other week to pick up fresh produce, rice, beans, milk and other items. At the Second Chance Christian Center Food Pantry (SCCC), which serves about 200 Bronx residents each time it opens its doors, similar food is distributed to help families struggling to make ends meet.
Hostos has been working with the New York Common Pantry for five years and the relationship between the Second Chance Christian Center Food Pantry was established by Professor Lavern Dantzler, who is the Academic Test Coordinator at the College and a Chaplain at the church.

Members of the Leadership Academy and PTK worked with clients taking orders on tablets, packing bags of fresh vegetables and food for families who had as many as seven mouths to feed. In the pantry itself, students worked alongside weekly volunteers from the community and volunteers from Bloomingdale’s, who were there as part of their campaign to make an impact in the city. Members also ventured into the Melrose Section of the Bronx to help a small Christian Center and Pastor Edith Watford in their efforts to help the folks in the neighborhood.

This is the sixth year in which the members of the Hostos SLA have participated in events to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The recruitment for volunteers takes place during the Hostos Student Leadership Academy Winter Workshop Series, which takes place in the second or third week in January every year. Students from across the College are invited to participate. By participating in as few or as or as many as 19 workshops that take place over the course of four days these training sessions allow Hostos students to hone their leadership skills and have  the opportunity to engage in conversations with nationally recognized speakers like: Christina Marin of Emerson College; Shawn Dove of The Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement; Arel Moodie, one of America’s top young speakers; Philip Michael Caban of the College Success Program; Shmuel Gerber of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised IN BRIEF; Suemanda Pompey of Polished & Refined Etiquette Consulting; and Dorothy Doppstadt of ABC News, Columbia University, and The Five O’clock Club.

Workshops in the series have included:

• The Art of Likability for Leaders: Power, Passion and Persuasion (learning to become a more effective and dynamic speaker);
• Introduction to Taoist Tai Chi; Personal Sustainability in Leadership Development;
• If We Can See It... Then We Can Be It: An Image Theatre Workshop on the Manifestation of Leadership;
• The Seven C's of Deep End Leadership;
• Afro-Stretch for the Body and Mind; Decision Making; Grit and Goal Setting;
• Effective Communications for Leaders–Speak to Me Not at Me, Many Voices, One Group (Robert's Rules of Order);
• The Etiquette Guide for Dining with Confidence;
• CUNY Ernesto Malave Leadership Program Information Session; New York (America) Needs You Information Session;
• Kaplan Leadership Program Information Session;
• Healthy Eating = Healthy Brains;
• Mindfulness and Meditation; and,
• Time Management Skills.

About the Hostos Leadership Academy
The Hostos Leadership Academy creates and coordinates college-wide academic and co-curricular activities that prepare students to be effective global citizens who are engaged in transforming their communities through scholarship, work and volunteer service. Taking into account the diverse backgrounds of Hostos students, the Leadership Academy offers multiple access points.

Students may have a formal relationship with the Academy by enrolling in one of its five programs: the Student Ambassador Program, the Student Orientation Services (SOS) Team Program, the Emerging Leaders Program, the Hostos Athletic Leaders Organization (HALO), or the Volunteer Corps. They may also choose a less formal relationship with the Academy by participating in programs offered to the entire Hostos student body.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.

Recently named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.