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A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: March 10. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Dana Schmitz, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, special contributor, photography and layout.
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SLA students lend a waving hand to supporting troops
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| Student Leadership Academy students welcome a troop back at D/FW International Airport. | As U.S. soldiers stepped out of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport terminal for international flights Feb. 10, they were greeted with cheers, signs, waving American flags and the handshakes of several dozen supportive citizens both young and old.
The soldiers were wearing their military fatigues and carrying heavily packed, green duffle bags, but they stopped to shake hands. There were tears, hugs and pats on the back. “Thank yous” were flying back and forth between the cheering supporters and the soldiers.
Among the supporters were students from Collin’s Student Leadership Academy II along with some of their friends and family members. SLA II is a credit class that teaches leadership theory and skills to enrolled students. A group within the class chose to support military members, veterans and their families for its semester-long service project, and so they arranged for the visit to the airport.
The project was initially thought up by the group because two members had parents in the military, one was an active duty soldier, and the fourth is currently in the Army Reserves.
“I think the soldiers should be supported especially when there seems to be a waning support for the war,” said Melinda Archaki-Sutter, the student who arranged the trip to the airport. “Regardless of your stance on the war, we’re passionate about making certain our soldiers are not lost in the political shuffle. They need to feel our support.”
Her group also arranged to have two Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans as guest speakers the day before. Furthermore, the group has plans to adopt two U.S. Marines as well as to volunteer at the local veteran’s hospital.
This semester, Dr. Debra St. John is facilitating SLA II, and she believes that service plays an important role in leadership.
“Leadership is not a selfish enterprise. In fact, leaders should learn about serving more than anything else,” she said.
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| SLA students break out the poster board and markers to make posters for returning soldiers. | As far as the DFW trip, Dr. St. John said that an experience like that cultivates an appreciation for the work and dedication people like soldiers accomplish.
Another SLA II student enjoyed the DFW experience because it was “a tangible dimension to an abstract discussion in class,” said Nathan McIntyre, a sophomore. “I tend to believe I exist in a world of hypotheticals, but seeing these guys get off the plane and be so happy brought it back down to earth.”
He explained that welcoming soldiers home was a real experience outside the classroom discussion.
“I would go to the airport to welcome the troops home again in a heart beat,” said Archaki-Sutter. “Also, I’m excited (supporting the military) is going to be a semester-long project. As for me, personally, believe I will be carrying this project past the end of the semester.”
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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