Students from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Richard A. Henson Honors Program ended the spring semester with a summit focusing on leadership development taught by experts in their fields.
The event, held May 2 at UMES’ School of Pharmacy and Health Professions Building, focused on various topics including financial literacy, effective leadership, mental health, critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence, and dressing for success. Participation in the summit is one of four yearly requirements for Henson Honors scholars.
“Providing this service allows students to not just be in the honors program and learn the academic aspect of it, but to learn everyday things that they’ll need throughout their lives,” said Brittany Stevenson, acting assistant director of the honors program. “These skills will be beneficial for them to go above and beyond in order to stand out in an ultracompetitive career field.”
At this year’s event, all of the experts were members of Divine Nine fraternities and sororities. Stevenson, who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., said that all of this year’s speakers being Divine Nine members was coincidental.
“It just ended up happening that way because of what speakers were brought in,” she said. “I wanted to highlight the importance of what people who wear these colors and letters look like. We’re career professionals who are paying it forward to the next generation.”
For the keynote speakers in the event, the opportunity to share pearls of wisdom and extoll the virtues of being a member of a Greek letter organization was something they were enthusiastic about.
“I’m absolutely proud to be a 33-year member of Delta Sigma Theta and it was one of the best decisions in my life,” said Dr. Kimberly Purvis, a UMES alumna and the dean of Student Success and conduct officer at Wor-Wic Community College. “Being a part of the organization exposed me to people who could nurture the potential in me that I didn’t know I had. It has been super beneficial in my life and allowed me to inspire others and help not only build my own capacity, but the capacity of the young people I work with throughout the community.”
Purvis, who presented on the topic of critical thinking in the age of A.I., said she wanted the students in attendance to understand the importance of effective A.I. usage as an optional resource and not a default.
“Credibility is not about how professional something sounds; it’s about the quality of the evidence and reasoning,” she said. “So, you don’t want to lose your own creativity and your own ability to think critically by exclusively using artificial intelligence.”
Rev. Kenneth L. Watson discussed with students the importance of financial literacy. Watson, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., said speaking with the college-age honor students, left him optimistic about the message resonating.
“We often have negative connotations of millennials and Gen Z where we say they don’t want to learn, but from my experience, they are sponges and ask a lot of questions,” he said. “They’re so excited about investing into their future, which makes me excited, because I feel like they’re going to pass this information down to others.”
Matthew Pattison, a sequential arts major and a recent graduate who attended the summit, said he left the event more informed.
“It really got me thinking and asking a lot of questions, which I enjoyed,” he said. “The one thing that stood out to me the most was the financial literacy section because I felt both prepared and unprepared with the information I received.”
Delray Wylie, a Kappa Alpha Psi member presented the session on effective leadership and said hazing and the ongoing discussion of organizational practices makes it vital for others to understand the groups’ importance.
“There has been a lot of publicity about the negative incidents that have happened, and it’s unfortunate, but when we look at the history of D9 organizations, we have been the backbone of HBCUs and the black community since the early 1900s,” Wylie said. “We have to make sure that everyone understands that members of these organizations continue to be at the forefront of being serving leaders in the community and at universities.”
In the final session, licensed clinical social worker Dr. Cha-Tanya Lankford addressed the focus on wholeness, well-being, and mental health. Lankford, a 20-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, said the pressures college students face can take a toll on their mental health.
“Between the ages of 16 and 21, young people are navigating a complex terrain, academically, financially, socially, and emotionally,” she said. “Research shows us that this convergence creates a heightened window of vulnerability for mental health challenges. I want every scholar in that room to feel seen, normalize the experience, and make them aware there are resources and trained professionals ready to help.”
Kamryn Purvis, a Delta Sigma Theta member who led a seminar on professional dress, said being able to provide information to students who are very close to her age is meaningful.
“It’s so important for these students to be prepared when they go out into the world and into the workforce,” she said. “As an HBCU grad and with the opportunity to connect with fellow HBCU students, I think it’s a good thing for the students to get that guidance from these professionals.”
