by Gary Lawson As we journey into the new year (2021), I have looked back over time and reminisced some of the major community undertakings my daughter, Celeste, has conceived and/or piloted in a quiet manner, that has had or will have a vital impact on Iowans. She possesses many of the qualities of a servant leader, meaning in this case that she places a high priority on servant leadership and volunteering her service for the betterment of others. For example, some of you may be familiar with her work as a board member of the Connect Foundation, such as when she played a key role in: 1) developing the nomination criteria used by the Iowa African American Hall of Fame; and 2) serving on the committee that transferred the Iowa African American Hall of Fame to the custody of officials at Iowa State University.She also served as the inaugural Vice Chair of Education for the Iowa Juneteenth Observance. Two of her greatest accomplishments included the development of statewide student essay contests and adult education awards for the Iowa Juneteenth Observance. More recently, you may have read the November/December 2020 issue of the Urban Experience Magazine that documents Celeste’s involvement with conducting an exclusive interview with Dr. Jack Thomas, President of Central State University. Central State University is part of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities family, each known as an HBCU. What you may not know is that Celeste initiated outreach efforts to Central State University for the purpose of conducting a ‘virtual’ student recruitment activity with Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS). Why? Although the results of her research made a strong case for improved assistance for minority students desiring to pursue higher education, it is being done for the purpose of providing all junior and senior high school students, regardless of race/ethnicity/gender, with opportunities for receiving an academic scholarship, an athletic scholarship or possibly financial assistance in pursuit of a college education…which is extremely important during these times of the COVID-19 pandemic. To collaboratively coordinate this project, Celeste also reached out to Dwana Bradley, the present Chair of the School Board. Chairperson Bradley has graciously connected Celeste with the appropriate staff at Des Moines Public Schools. In essence, Celeste is ‘volunteering’ her time as the Project Coordinator for the first student recruitment activity between Central State University and Des Moines Public Schools. The future could be very promising for participating students and their families…only time and commitment will tell. Let’s bring it on home now… The aforementioned are just a couple of the projects for which Celeste was/is affiliated.
37 Publizr Home