LEAP Leads

Students Participate in Mock City Council
Students Debate a New Park in a Mock City Council Meeting
Students Explore Huntsville's "Boot Home"
Students Learn About Unique Architecture, Visiting Dan Phillips' Boot Home
Students Meet with Public Figures
Students with US Ambassador to Qatar and Former Assistant to the Vice President of the United States, Chase Untermeyer

"LEAP Leads" Program

Our new LEAP Leads Program is designed for students who want the opportunity to engage with their University and community, build their resumes, and develop social and work-related skills for future endeavors. Unlike many programs, LEAP Leads provides meaningful programs for students who are motivated, career-conscious, and interested in being exposed to diverse intellectual and occupational opportunities.

Program Activities

Students selected for this one-semester program will participate in programs including:

Select sessions of the Texas Tribune Festival
Participatory workshops, including resume and interview assistance.
Programs of historical, artistic, literary, legal, political, scientific and journalistic interest;
Career advice from local and state leaders, non-profit managers, and successful SHSU alumni;

Specific programs could include behind-the-scene tours of museums and area landmarks; police and citizen led workshops on police-citizen interactions; demonstrations of voir dire and other legal processes; a budgeting exercise with student teams; a mock Commissioners Court meeting; and other such programs.

Depending on what the current pandemic permits, many of these programs may be virtual, but they will be designed such that LEAP Leads students will have the exclusive opportunity to interact with and ask questions to the panelists.

Students who participate in the program will receive modest scholarships at the beginning and conclusion of the semester.

Time Commitments and Deliverables:

LEAP LEADs students will need to commit to attending regular meetings. Our first meeting will be Tuesday, September 7, and then we will meet every other Monday night until the Thanksgiving break. The meetings will begin at 5:30pm and last until 8:30pm. In addition to these six meetings, students will have three or four other scheduled events at other times. We are currently in the process of scheduling these, and they should be finalized before LEAP LEADs begins. Students will also be asked to write occasional thank-you notes or blog entries for selected sessions.

Students selected for the program will receive t-shirts, virtual access to Texas Tribune Festival Programming, professional headshots, resume assistance, modest scholarships, and foundation knowledge training about how communities work.

Program Eligibility and Applications

This program is designed for college sophomores, but other classifications will be considered. It is open to all majors. Students' transcripts should demonstrate academic potential and should not have any charges of academic misconduct. Students will be selected on their (1) academic record and potential, (2) application materials, and (3) their interview performance. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.

Applications are due on August 9, 2021 by 5:00pm. Applications can be found here. For your resume, please use this template.