NATCHITOCHES – Dr. Jessie Church, assistant professor of education and program coordinator for elementary education, and Student Media Coordinator Matthew Craig, recently completed Leadership Natchitoches Cohort 7, representing NSU.
Leadership Natchitoches is an immersive learning experience designed to engage and activate proven leaders in our community to effect change in Natchitoches Parish. Through the course of this program, this diverse group of professionals becomes one class and one voice, becoming more interconnected not only with each other but with the broader community and region.
“Leadership Natchitoches gave me a deeper appreciation for the community I call home,” said Craig. “Learning more about our city and parish while connecting with leaders across different fields was a rewarding experience. I’m grateful for the relationships I built and the opportunity to bring that perspective back to my work with students at Northwestern State.”
Leadership Natchitoches gives graduates first-hand knowledge of the issues facing our region and provides an opportunity to make a positive community impact through volunteerism and civic engagement. The program consists of eight sessions, including an evening team-building social and a full day of experiential learning. At the end of the program, Leadership Natchitoches participants are celebrated at a graduation ceremony.
“Leadership Natchitoches pushed me outside my field of education to explore every part of our community, and only by stepping outside it could I see how those parts work together to build something lasting and self-sustaining,” said Church. “I found my former students everywhere: caring for patients at NRMC, working at Weyerhaeuser, teaching in our classrooms and leading our tourism social media campaign. Seeing that showed me how education drives a growing, progressive community.”