(FORT BEND ISD)– Seventeen Fort Bend ISD students spent their Spring Break traveling to historical locations across the American South as part of the inaugural FBISD Profile of a Graduate Student Leadership Tour Series trip.
Students visited sites in Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery, Selma and Birmingham, Alabama. These included the birthplace of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Rosa Parks Museum, Dr. King’s Historical Park, Legacy Museum, 16th Street Baptist Church and Edmund Pettus Bridge.
The students who attended the inaugural trip included: Clements High School’s Holden Cox, Isabella Devega, Okechukwu Odocha and Nnenna Okoroafor; Elkins High School’s Mekhi Galloway and Temitope Samuel; Hightower High School’s Jelani Blanton, Marissa Hudgins, Kaden Sanders and Jesseca Wesley; Marshall High School’s Deselah Hawkins; Ridge Point High School’s Kaitlyn Cooper, Ameerah Jackson and Joshua Onuoha; Travis High School’s Caleb Martin and Zaiya Williams; and Willowridge High School’s Reginald Smith.
Elkins student Temitope Samuel considered the trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience and is grateful to have learned about topics she hadn’t before. For her, the trip was about recognizing the work done by so many others that now benefits people today.
“We are the current generation, and our forefathers ran so that we could walk,” Samuel said.
“Without their bravery and courage in standing up to injustice, we would not have all of the privileges that we do today, although there is still a lot of work to do,” she said. “It is up to us to ensure that we continue to fight so that the future generations can have it easier than us.”
Clements’ Holden Cox left the experience feeling inspired and was surprised to uncover new things about a significant period in American history.
“I considered myself to have sufficient knowledge of the Civil Right Movement prior to the trip,” Cox said. “It opened my eyes to the things I take for granted.”
Michael Madden, FBISD’s Coordinator of Student Leadership, led the group over Spring Break. In both his current role and former position as a teacher at Clements High School, he knows the value of experiential learning in helping students grow as leaders.
“The inaugural Profile of a Graduate Student Leadership trip was a great experience for all student participants,” Madden said. “Student leaders visited historical sites and had the unique opportunity to walk in the footsteps of inspiring leaders whose courage helped to change the trajectory of the United States.”
Plans are in progress for the next trip, which will take place in spring 2024.
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