Each summer the senior class works together to complete a public service project. In past years, scholars have organized a leadership workshop for at-risk youth; written academic papers; and hosted networking events. This summer, the senior class organized two projects targeting needy families and black youth interested in attending college.
For the first project, the scholars worked with Hannah House, a transitional housing facility for women and children recovering from drugs and physical abuse. The scholars not only cleaned, painted, and moved furniture, but they also spent time speaking with residents and staff about their experiences. Even though the scholars only committed to one day of work, they were so inspired by their experiences there they decided to return for another Saturday of work.
The second project that the seniors worked on was an event that one of the scholars, Joshua Harris worked on at his internship at the FBR Group. Each year, the Corporate Giving office at FBR hosts workshops for youth who are interested in attending college but have few role models in their lives that can speak to the experiences that students face when they attend college.
During the first workshop, the scholars sat on a panel where they discussed college admissions, academic rigor, and their personal experiences at their respective institutions. At the second workshop, the students spent time with the youth helping them to define their options, while at the same time encouraging them to work hard.
For the sixth summer in a row, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spent several hours with the scholars of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. After marveling at how the size of the group has grown over the years, Justice Thomas offered great advice inspirational stories to the scholars. Topics discussed ranged from his judicial philosophies to current public policy concerns.
As always, the scholars had a spirited discussion on the topic of affirmative action. Whether they agreed or not, the scholars walked away from this meeting feeling enlightened and inspired.
This afternoon, several Institute scholars attended an event hosted by the Gloucester Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program entitled, "The Great Debaters." The scholars watched the students in the Emerging Leaders Program debate the costs and benefits of a universalized healthcare system. After the debate, the scholars networked with students participating in the Gloucester Institute program, which served as a great opportunity for the scholars to discuss the topic at hand. The event was inspired by the recently released movie, which has the same title, and in which actor Denzel Washington stars.
The junior class visited the offices of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld for a breakfast and a discussion with Civil Rights Leader and former presidential advisor Vernon Jordan. After introducing himself to each of the scholars, Mr. Jordan began by addressing the significance of this presidential election. He referred to the current election as historical and groundbreaking, in the sense that for the first in history there is an African American man and a woman vying for a presidential candidacy.
In an effort to illustrate the importance of this historical moment, Mr. Jordan spent time discussing Senators Hillary Clinton’s and Barak Obama’s campaigns, while at the same time chronicling the efforts of past civil rights heroes and suffragists who fought long and hard for equal opportunity.
Mr. Jordan also shared his personal life story. He discussed the difficulties that he experienced when he moved away from home for the first time as a college student as well as the discrimination he faced when applying for jobs. These stories were not intended to discourage the scholars from pursuing their goals, but instead to remind them of the opportunities that are available as a result of the hardships that our ancestors have overcome.
This weekend, the participants in the KPMG Summer Scholars Program in New York spent time with the scholars of the Washington Program. The KPMG program is the newest addition to the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. Unlike the Washington program, which seeks to recruit high-achieving African American male students interested in a variety of fields such as law, government, public service, ministry, journalism, and education, the KPMG program selects talented students interested in accounting. While in New York, the scholars work in various departments at KPMG, one of the largest accounting firms in the world.
The purpose of this visit - the first of several - was to introduce the KPMG scholars to the Washington scholars to further enrich our network of high-achieving African American men. One of the main goals of the Institute to is bring together the best and brightest African American men and teach them the fundamental constitutional and economic principles that leaders need to understand. The Institute also affords them the opportunity to foster relationships that will help them to accomplish their professional goals while serving others.
On Saturday morning, the KPMG scholars joined the Washington scholars for Professor Allen’s Government. After a pizza lunch, all of the scholars participated in Mr. Keyes’ seminar.
At the seminar, several of the Washington Scholars gave testimonials about their experiences at the Institute and shed some light on what the Institute is all about. The KPMG scholars introduced themselves and answered questions from the Washington Scholars about their backgrounds and their jobs at KPMG.
This evening, scholars interested in pursuing careers in law attended the first of a series of seminars at the firm Foley & Lardner LLP. The seminars cover topics ranging from law school applications to the legal profession. They also included presentations by members of the firm about their practice specialties, ranging from intellectual property to sports law. During the first session, Jim Bierman, a partner and former dean of admission at Harvard Law School gave the scholars advice on how to put together a strong application. He emphasized the importance of the personal statement and the LSAT score while also encouraging the scholars to gain experience in their fields of interest. Among the other attorneys who will address the scholars is Ed Polk, a patent lawyer who is also a member of the Institute's Board of Trustees.
After completing three hours of Government class, the juniors were treated to a barbecue hosted by the senior class and 2008 summer fellows. With the total contingent of scholars more than quadruple the number in our inaugural class, these and other informal events are important to facilitate the bonding that the Institute intends. In addition to the good food that was prepared by the seniors, the scholars enjoyed music, good conversation, and card games.
Professor William B. Allen has returned to the Institute for his sixth summer to teach the Lynde & Harry Bradley Course on Constitution Principles. Each summer, Professor Allen not only finds new and innovative ways of teaching the scholars about our country’s founding, he also challenges them to think critically about a variety of issues.
This summer’s course has been divided between two sections. The first section was dedicated to analyzing the Federalist Papers and the formation of the Constitution, while the second section explored American slavery using Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Professor Allen’s soon-to-be published commentary on the novel.
The Institute tried something new this year, having Professor Allen teach the Economics course also. This arrangement enabled the scholars to receive a coherent education on the effects of economic and constitutional principles on public policy.