LET US Academy announces slate of upcoming 'Life Series' speakers
October 29, 2018
Contact: Brittney Dabney, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
The upcoming motivational 鈥淟ife Series鈥� speakers program, part of the Leadership and Excellence by 精东AV Students 鈥� or LET US 鈥� Academy, will help students envision professional success through the eyes of notable 精东AV alumni. The speakers series is open to students of all majors and classifications.
The program launches on Wednesday, Oct. 31, with a presentation by John Long, iHeartMedia鈥檚 senior vice president of programming and a 1996 精东AV graduate. His presentation, 鈥淐ommunicating Effectively with Others,鈥� will begin at 7 p.m. in the Henderson Hall Auditorium.
Based in the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, the LET US Academy assists first-semester STEM students with developing the 鈥渟oft skills鈥� required of today鈥檚 job market. Walter P. Cooper Sr., who coordinates the LET US Academy program, noted that it helps students develop the communications and interpersonal skills they must combine with the technical classroom knowledge required of their chosen career fields.
Though the program is in its infancy, Cooper highlighted that the academy has already helped bridge the soft-skills gap for students by connecting them with successful alumni, who in turn share their life and career experiences with students.
鈥淚ntroducing these skills at an early stage affords our students the opportunity of securing internships so that they can continue to work on these skills. This will make their transition easier when they graduate and go into the real-world,鈥� Cooper emphasized.
Between Oct. 31 through Dec. 5, students will learn the ins-and-outs of professional life from five 精东AV alumni who have made their marks in a number of business sectors and walks of life. Each will share their perspectives on skills sets that are important to students鈥� future careers 鈥撯�� goal setting to goal achievement, communicating effectively with others, developing habits for excellence, building on strengths and passion, managing priorities and stress and achieving excellence with integrity.
鈥淏ringing alumni back to campus to share their experiences helps students envision what they are capable of becoming,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淭he program also helps the university deepen its relationship with alumni and get them involved in some way with our student development efforts.鈥�
This year鈥檚 Life Series includes the following, each of whom will speak on their respective days at 7 p.m. in the Henderson Hall Auditorium:
- Oct. 31, 鈥淐ommunicating Effectively with Others鈥�: John Long 鈥�96, senior vice president of programming at iHeartMedia, has been in radio for more than 20 years, and has worked in major markets including Houston and Dallas. Experiencing so much success, in 2004 he was recognized as one of the top-five rising programming stars in radio by industry trade publication Radio and Records.
- Nov. 7, 鈥淒eveloping Habits for Excellence鈥�: Tiffany Nunnally 鈥�04 life coach, is a best-selling author, spiritual teacher, credentialed life coach, speaker, and social entrepreneur who helps women activate their gifts, advance their relationships and draw out their destiny. She is an Amazon #1 best-selling author of the book, Made for More, which reveals the secrets to cultivating God鈥檚 grandest vision for your life.
- Nov. 14, 鈥淏uilding on Strengths and Passion鈥�: Robert Stewart 鈥�12, congressional staffer, is a staunch supporter of his beloved alma mater. He gives back annually to a deserving student in the Brimmer College of Business and Information Science by donating to a scholarship that bears his name. He is engaged with the community and assists Atlanta-based nonprofit All Abroad Inc. by providing study abroad opportunities for underprivileged high school youth. He currently serves as the Black Belt outreach coordinator for U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who represents Alabama's 7th Congressional District.
- Nov. 28, 鈥淎chieving Excellence with Integrity鈥�: Larry Jemison Jr. 鈥�97, motivational speaker, is also an energetic consultant who has become an expert in demonstrating leadership, team-building, customer service, sales, training and obtaining results with his high-energy presentations tailored to an organization or group鈥檚 specific needs. He has a proven track record in growing many of America鈥檚 businesses across various industries, and has spoken with and trained thousands during the last 15 years.
- Dec. 5, 鈥淢anaging Priorities and Stress鈥�: Quionna Allen 鈥�99 , talent consultant at Caldwell Allen Coaching and Consulting, works with small- and mid-sized organizations and teams to accelerate the development of their top talent. She believes that accelerated readiness for future roles only happens with intention and accountability. During her career, she has developed a reputation for being a thoughtful business partner and compassionate employee advocate.
Cooper says the motivational speakers鈥� series was made possible through the partnership of guest speaker Quionna Allen and senior sales and marketing major Melody Wilson, who coordinated the efforts and activities of the program.
Although the Life Series speakers program is open to all students, the LET US Academy is only open to freshman students and provides them with an experiential learning experience that comes in the form of shadowing professionals in a variety of industries. The program assists students with receiving more experience in their chosen career fields through a holistic approach to student development and service partnerships with local schools throughout Macon County.
To learn more about the Let Us Academy, visit /programs-courses/colleges-schools/caens/daes/undergraduate-research-and-mentoring/let-us-for-stem.
漏 2018, 精东AV