Rokeishia Smith
Cuyahoga Community College
Rokeishia Smith, a second-year student at Cuyahoga Community College, is adept at making connections with individuals and organizations that share the same passion about social justice issues that she does, and then collaborating to address those issues on a local level. A good example is her work with the Spanish American Committee on Cleveland's west side to design and implement workshops for small children and their parents. The workshops helped strengthen the communication skills between child and parent as well as the parents' involvement with their children to provide a foundation for the child's intellectual, emotional and social growth. Her active participation in the Black American Council, The Black Women's Minority group, Phi Theta Kappa, and other organizations allows her to, in the words of the College's mission, "improve the overall quality of life in a multicultural community." There is no doubt that she will continue to catalyze positive change in the Cleveland area and model the attributes of a strong leader to her fellow students and community partners.
Personal Statement
Civic engagement, for me, is simply doing what God has called me to do; to serve and help others in my community. Whether I'm working with Student Government to benefit the students at Cuyahoga Community College, or whether I'm volunteering every other Sunday to teach children at my church, my happiness comes from seeing others happy and succeed. Moreover, I am most passionate about helping others succeed either through example, or encouragement and support. I involve myself with opportunities that will work towards the betterment of others. My involvement in the Robert L. Lewis Academy of Scholars program has helped me to understand my passion for equal education among all children regardless of race and income. Through this program, I was given the opportunity to create workshops for parents that strengthen their relationships with their children. This brought me more satisfaction because I knew that through these workshops, at least one family learned the importance of family involvement in a child's educational career. The optimistic side of me truly believes that on my journey to receiving my doctor's degree in school psychology, I will be able to continue to help more children and families in need.
