Once again, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine is highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of students who have managed to take achievement to the next level.  The following students have been showcased because we see special qualities in them.  Whether making the news in positions of influence or quietly leading on the job or in their communities, we expect them to continue to accomplish great things.

A student leader is one who excels as an individual and demonstrates a great degree of assistance to others.  The following students have made their mark in securing a solid foundation for their future, but they’ve gone beyond that by making a difference in the lives of others.  These students have been selected to represent their schools by members of their faculty and we’re pleased to present them to you.. 

Tiffany D. Singleton Classification: 2002 Graduate School: Dillard University Major: Economics and Finance

Impressive!  If you were to sum up Tiffany Singleton’s accomplishments in college with one word, that would have to be the one.  She served as Class President in her freshman and sophomore years, President of the Melton Foundation in her junior year, and SGA President in her senior year.  She managed to hold all of these positions and still graduate with a 3.86 GPA. 

“I want to feel like I’m making a difference,” Singleton stated.  “If after you leave, a situation is not better for someone else, what’s the point?”  She’s certainly stood by that philosophy as she managed to affect positive change in every position that she held.  She stepped up the role of student leadership on campus by developing an orientation and training program for students elected into positions of leadership and helped manage the expansion of the SGA budget to support campus organizations. These are only some of the noteworthy accomplishments that exemplify the range of her leadership abilities.

In typical student leader fashion, Singleton’s work has gone beyond the campus, exhibiting her strong commitment to giving back.  As freshman and sophomore Class President, she developed a monthly service project program, with the intention of making sure that the class was involved in community service.  She orchestrated a campus wide walk-a-thon, which over a three-year period donated to the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans, the Salvation Army, and Breast Cancer Awareness.  She also developed a tutoring and international affairs education program for students at George Washington Carver High School in New Orleans. “It was really important to me that we understand the need to give back,” she said.  “You owe a debt.  Somebody gave up something for you to get there.” Singleton graduated from Dillard University in May 2002 and is currently working at JPMorgan Chase as a Financial Analyst.

Joie D. Rasberry Classification: Senior School: Texas Southern University Major: Speech Communications

Joie Rasberry is an example of what determination and a never-quite spirit can do.  Before she got her opportunity to excel on campus she was demonstrating the selfless characteristics of a student leader.  Rasberry is the first non-traditional student to be selected as a student leader.  Even the circumstances that led to her being a non-traditional student make her worthy of recognition.  Initially she attended college directly after high school but she postponed her education to care for her mother who needed special attention after suffering a heart attack.  Then just as she was ready to re-enroll, her family suffered another tragedy.  Her sister was murdered and Rasberry stepped up to the challenge once again to help raise the young nieces and nephews that were left behind.

It takes a special drive to go back to school after being away for almost ten years.  But Rasberry didn’t just go back. At age 29, she returned with a drive that made her excel as more than a student but also a leader.  “Since I was knocked off course, my passion was different,” Rasberry said.  At age 33, she was crowned Miss Texas Southern University.  In this position, she serves as a goodwill ambassador for the university.  In addition she has served as the President of the international champion Texas Southern University Debate team.  She garnered first place awards in Parliamentary Debate, Public Addresses, and Roman Oratory as she helped her team to be crowned 2002 International Forensics Champions in Rome, Italy.

She also works with a mentoring program in which she and other Speech majors at TSU teach public speaking and basic character building skills to elementary and middle school students in Houston, Texas.

Rasberry is presently a senior at TSU, where she continues to serve as Miss TSU and work fulltime.  She also operates her own business called Professionally Speaking, a public speaking business that serves churches, schools, businesses, community organizations, and special interest groups.

Mikiyon Alexander Classification: Senior School: Kentucky State University Major: Public Administration

His family members sometimes call him “mayor.”  One look at his long list of accomplishments and you’ll know why.  Mikiyon Alexander has served in student government each of his four years at Kentucky State University.  He’s served as a Senator, Class President, First Vice President of the SGA, and now President of the SGA.  Yet his commitment to serving the student body has not stopped him from maintaining his status on the Deans List and giving back to his community.

He began building a good foundation early as a student leader.  “I had one goal as Sophomore Class President, and it was to unify the sophomore class,” recalled Alexander.  He accomplished that goal by putting on events such as a Unity Day and a Sophomore Class Banquet.  “The banquet was a celebration at the end of our sophomore year because we were half way there,” he said.  “The theme was ‘only the strong survive’ and we were trying to motivate one another to continue.”  He accomplished that goal and used the unity to spawn success in the area of community service.  The class pulled together to lead a campus food drive for the Sunshine Center in Kentucky.

Alexander’s community service didn’t stop with the sophomore class.  As a member of student government, he continued to participate in activities such as having children from the Martin Luther King Center come to campus to experience college life and sponsoring a family for Thanksgiving.

Whether it’s community service or campus politics, Alexander remains on the move.  “People on campus motivate me because they expect me to do things,” he stated.  As First Vice President of the SGA, he established a plan for getting the student’s concerns to the Board of Regents more effectively.  Though he’s only been in office as the SGA President for a few months, he’s already started making his mark.  “My main goal is to add organizational structure because that will help everything come together,” he pointed out.  “We’ve been meeting for the past few months and I can already see that the structure is definitely there.”

Janelle Hannah Classification: Senior School: Jackson State University Major: Political Science

To say she’s managed to stay busy is an understatement.  “I can’t stand for someone to tell me that I can’t do something,” Janelle Hannah asserted.  “I try to disprove them and in most cases, I’ve been successful.”  It’s hard to believe that anyone who knows her would doubt her.  She’s currently serving as Jackson State University’s first female SGA President in eight years.  She’s served as the Vice President of the SGA, President of the Wesley Foundation, and President of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.  Not to mention, she is a member of several other campus organizations.

Though it may be hard to believe, Hannah has found a way to match her own accomplishments in the various student organizations with accomplishments that are just as impressive in the area of community service.  She worked to increase the visibility of the Ayers case, a lawsuit that sought to improve the academic programs and facilities at Mississippi’s three historically Black colleges.  As a sophomore, she gave speeches and passed out literature to help contribute to the second largest blood drive in school history.  Additionally, she visits elderly care centers on a regular basis.

The self-proclaimed daddy’s girl says that her father is responsible for her attitude about community service.  “My father is like that.  He’s always trying to help people,” she said.  “I grew up doing it with him.”  To this day, she continues to help her father as he visits the sick and passes out food with him when she visits home.  “Now, I think he’s proud of the fact that I can do these things on my own,” she stated.

Hannah is currently a senior working to increase her GPA from a 3.7 to a 3.8 so that she can attain her goal of graduating summa cum laude.  She plans to attend law school after receiving her bachelor’s degree in political science.

Ehimwenma Joyce Iyamu Classification: Senior School: Spelman University Major: Philosophy

During her time at Spelman University, Ehimwenma Iyamu has managed to stockpile a wealth of achievements.  She has served as Chapter Delegate of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Secretary of the Spelman Philosophy Club, Class Representative of the SGA, Corresponding Secretary of the SGA, and she currently serves as the President of the SGA.  Her leadership accomplishments are augmented by the fact that she is on the Dean’s List and a member of several honor societies.

Driven by a strong sense of sisterhood, Iyamu has worked hard to serve the Spelman student body.  “What drives me is…I think I can change things - make things better,” she said.  She’s worked to make Spelman better by putting programs in place to increase student participation in student government.  For instance, she held a student government open house.  “That was my way of getting Spelman women to come to the SGA,” she stated.

She has also made a positive impact in the area of community service.  She’s worked with Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., to raise over $12,000 in corporate donations for the AIDS Walk in Atlanta, read and spent time with children of battered women, and worked in feed the homeless projects.

Iyamu contributes much of her determination to the recognition of the sacrifices that her parents have made for her and her siblings.   Originally from Nigeria, her parents have made many sacrifices for them to be here.  “That has been something that has definitely motivated me,” she expressed as she became a little teary eyed.

She is looking forward to more accomplishments as she continues to serve as the Student Body President.  “I think more so this year than any other year, I’ll have the opportunity to make the changes that we want to see,” she predicted.

Once again, we’ve managed to find an outstanding group of students who have found a way to strike a balance that allows for high levels of personal achievement and high levels of service to their fellow students and surrounding communities.  The refreshing thing about them is they not only strive to make the world a better place for themselves, but they do the same for the people around them.  In these students, we see the type of drive and dedication that almost assures us we’ll hear from them again.

Curtis Doucette is a documentation specialist with Hibernia National Bank in New Orleans.