Granting the wish of a sick child, addressing diversity at school or sexual assault on college campuses, raising awareness of homelessness, supporting veterans — these are just some of the ways the 49 students in the Class of 2017 gave back to the community through this year’s program. The students completed seven community service projects, which they created after becoming familiar with the needs of the community.

Team Wish

The goal of Team Wish was to grant a wish for a child in Howard County through the Make-A-Wish foundation and to raise awareness of its mission to those children who are waiting for wishes in Howard County. The team organized a Wish Week that included a restaurant night, bake sale, social media online donation campaign and fundraising at a county high school football game.

Beyond the Stereotype

Beyond the Stereotype created student-led conversations surrounding the issue of cultural insensitivities and diversity. The team utilized social media to celebrate the multicultural nature of Howard County. The Beyond the Stereotype team created the #beyondthestereotype and Twitter and Instagram accounts @hocobeyond to spread its message.

Speak Love HoCo

Speak Love HoCo teamed with HopeWorks to raise awareness for sexual assault on today’s college campuses. The team hosted the screening of “The Hunting Ground,” a documentary on sexual assault on college campuses. Speak Love HoCo also facilitated a discussion with both parents and students on the impact of the film.

Hospital Helpers

Hospital Helpers organized a Sunday morning breakfast at Howard County General Hospital for the Emergency Department to show their appreciation for their staff. The team also brought notes of thanks and encouragement to share with all staff members.

We LUVeterans

We LUVeterans implemented a pilot program at Howard High School to show appreciation for veterans in Howard County. This pilot may be followed by other high schools for future veterans programs. Throughout the week, the students also collected donations for homeless veterans’ everyday needs for the McVets facility to distribute to those in need.

“The Leadership U program really empowers students to learn by doing,” said Meg Ignacio, Leadership U director. “The students learn the value of teamwork and project organization that goes beyond just learning about a subject area. By developing projects that affect them and their peers in the community, they gain a sense of accomplishment and learn they have the ability to really make a positive difference.”

 

Leadership U Class of 2017

Gabrielle Aidam
Long Reach

Julian Basena
Long Reach

Malina Beideman
Mount de Sales Academy

Veronica Cagle
Centennial

Corey Cooke
Wilde Lake

Taylor Currie
Glenelg

Lilly DeCelles
Atholton

Matthew Demme
Centennial

Annabelle Gao
Marriotts Ridge

Kaia Godsey
Mt. Hebron

Harun Gopal
Centennial

Juliana Gorman
Notre Dame Preparatory

Timothy Goulet
Howard

Maeve Hall
Notre Dame Preparatory

Lola Hankins
Mt. Hebron

Grace Hendricks
Mt. Hebron

Jeremy Jablonover
River Hill

Cassie Jeng
River Hill

Kevin Johnson
Glenelg

Tyrone Jones
Hammond

Anish Kasimsetty
Glenelg Country School

Samuel Levitt
Oakland Mills

Hassan Malik
Glenelg

Grace Mardock
Howard

Christian Maric
Atholton

Marc Marshall
Wilde Lake

Hassaan Mastoor
Marriotts Ridge

Eliza Munns
Mt. Hebron

Faith Ngundi
Howard

Sonia Patel
River Hill

Rahel Petros
Atholton

Daniel Quinter
Hammond

Trevor Romaine
Reservoir

Hamzah Rushdan
Glenelg Country School

Victorea Sangvic
Atholton

Eric Schneider
Wilde Lake

Renee Seetoo
The Excelsior Academy

Telly Smith
Mt. Hebron

Campbell Snoddy
Atholton

John Spurrier
River Hill

Kathryn Spurrier
River Hill

Alexander Strawley
Howard

Grace Virden
Marriotts Ridge

Autumn Weinig
Wilde Lake

Natalie Willard
Centennial

Emmett A. Woods-Gresham
Wilde Lake

Hamzah Yousuf
Mt. Hebron

Eric Zhu
Marriotts Ridge

Jessica Zinderman
Atholton