The inaugural class of NextGen Leaders visited Refuge & Restoration Marketplace in Dellwood and met with pastors Beverly and Ken Jenkins in October. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

One Friday afternoon in the middle of October, as many of their peers were likely getting a headstart on the weekend, a group of more than a dozen students in the Pierre Laclede Honors College at the University of Missouri–St. Louis boarded a bus outside the Millennium Student Center and rode it the roughly 5 miles to the Refuge & Restoration Marketplace in Dellwood, Missouri.

Over the course of about two hours, they had a chance to tour the community and economic development hub, which includes an early childhood center, bank, pharmacy, behavioral health clinic, career development center and coworking space. They also met with and had a chance to ask questions of pastors Ken and Beverly Jenkins, who supplied the vision to make it all a reality.

The students were all part of the NextGen Leaders program being piloted this semester through a partnership between UMSL and FOCUS St. Louis. The field trip was intended to expose them to the wider community in St. Louis, its challenges and individuals such as the Jenkinses who are leading to make a difference.

It left a strong impression on De’Ja Thompson, an Opportunity Scholar now in her junior year majoring in computer science and cybersecurity.

Pastor Beverly Jenkins (at left) shows members of the NextGen Leaders inaugural class the Brilliant Angels Academy childcare space at Refuge & Restoration Marketplace.

“I’m going to be talking about it to everybody,” Thompson said. “I believe in their mission, and they seem like really great people – open and resourceful for everybody. I appreciate how they want to give people that immediate support, but they also want to stop the cycle of other people needing to go stand in the food line. They want to get to the root of the problem, and I think that’s honestly cool.”

NextGen Leaders was conceived as a way to develop college students who are just as passionate about becoming civic-minded professionals and community changemakers.

The program is designed to enhance leadership and communication skills while also deepening the students’ understanding of regional issues and providing them with opportunities to form connections with both their peers and local leaders that they will carry with them into their future careers.

The idea for the program grew from conversations that took place last summer between Reggie Hill, UMSL’s vice chancellor for strategic enrollment and career advancement, and Shalia Ford, who serves as the senior director of leadership programs for FOCUS St. Louis. Hill had gotten to know Ford through his participation in Leadership St. Louis, a program FOCUS facilitates for experienced professionals seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the St. Louis region, explore collaborative civic leadership and build connections across sectors.

FOCUS St. Louis’ array of programming also includes, among others, the Emerging Leaders program for early career professionals and the Youth Leadership St. Louis program. But Ford was excited about the prospect of reaching a new audience with college students.

“We believe that every individual has the potential to be a leader, not necessarily with a title, but because of their ability to influence and make change in the community,” Ford said. “This is such a meaningful opportunity to work with college-age students as they’re on the cusp of launching their careers and what they’re going to do in the community.”

Hill and Ford didn’t have much time between their initial conversations and the fall semester to get the program off the ground. The biggest challenge they had was identifying students to be part of the inaugural cohort, but they found an eager collaborator in Honors College Dean Ed Munn Sanchez, himself an alum of the Leadership St. Louis program.

“This just seemed like it was a perfect fit for goals we already have,” Munn said.

Munn solicited input from other faculty and staff members in developing a list of potential participants from within the college, and he personally reached out to each of them and invited them to apply. Each was required to write an essay to be formally considered.

The 14 students who make up the inaugural class are spread throughout degree programs across campus: biology, biochemistry and biotechnology, business administration, computer science, criminology and criminal justice, nursing, philosophy, political science, psychology and social work.

“The students that we try and bring in are students that we see – and that see themselves – as leaders,” Munn said. “This group is very much career-oriented and engaged already. You’ll see there are multiple student organization presidents and students who are highly engaged in other ways. While they’re not in their career, they’re very aware of where they’re going.”

Ford has developed the curriculum for the NextGen Leaders program, adapting it from other leadership development programs that FOCUS facilitates. She has been guiding the students through eight three-hour sessions, held every other Friday afternoon, throughout the semester.

The program is loaded with opportunities for self-evaluation and reflection on their own leadership strengths and weaknesses, including use of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, peer coaching and role-playing, and conversations with guest speakers meant to highlight key leadership traits.

“The program has been pretty monumental as someone that considers themselves a pretty involved student leader,” said Kaine Koehler, a sophomore majoring in business administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. “The ability to not only learn new things but also sharpen my leadership skills has been immensely helpful. There are things I’ve learned in those sessions that I’m directly applying to my life right now, and the staff of FOCUS St. Louis has been amazing. Miss Ford has coached me on various things within the university, and I think this has been one of my favorite experiences I’ve had on campus.”

Koehler, like Thompson, took a lot away from the visit to the R&R Marketplace. He said it motivated him to try to get off campus more often and engage with community organizations.

Ford will be leading the students on another field trip this Friday to Operation Food Search, located in nearby Overland, Missouri, which works to distributes $30 million worth of food and necessities annually to more than 300 community partners in Missouri and Illinois.

“It’s important for them to see the community in which they live, get to know more about the region, and hopefully think about the studies or the path that they’re taking at UMSL for their degree,” Ford said. “What is the work that they want to do? What is the impact that they want to make? Maybe someone wants to be a social worker and work in this community. Or maybe we have a business major in the group, and they’re going to look for some place to be the incubator for their entrepreneurial endeavors. But if you don’t meet people and see community, how do you know what’s possible for you?”

Thompson is grateful the NextGen Leaders program has given her the chance to realize her own potential.

“I think I see leadership qualities in myself, and I see the value of using my voice more for the benefit of other people,” she said. “I hope I take heed of it and actually do speak up for more leadership opportunities. I am a little bit reserved and shy sometimes, and I just want to step out of my bubble.”