Alumni
Program
The program successfully launched in 2005 and was
developed to encourage youth from juvenile justice, foster care,
and low-income communities, who have previously gone through the
program, to re-invest their time and energy in a mentorship
capacity; alumni give back to the organization that helped them
set previously unimaginable goals.
In 2007,
US incorporated a paid Leadership
Internship component within the program in order to further
develop leadership skills. This unique approach to leadership
development enables elumni participants to serve as peer-to-peer
mentors, providing an opportunity for alumni to give back to
their communities. Richard Morgan, alumni participant,
commented on his experience, “A lot of the kids are shy, or some
have a little chip on their shoulder, for whatever reason. They
don’t know what to expect. What’s great is seeing them come in
with an attitude of ‘I don’t know why I’m here, and I don’t
care,’ and then take on the responsibility of a whole show they
wrote. It transforms them into leaders.” Read
more about our 2007 Leadership Interns
After the success of the 2007 Alumni Program,
we’ll be returning in 2008 to Narbonne High School in Harbor
City to institute our 4th Annual Alumni Program. The
program is free and open to all alumni or any youth from the
community! Please contact our offices for more info and/or to
apply as a 2008 Leadership Intern.
2007
Leadership Interns
Announcing the 2007 Unusual Suspects Leadership Interns:
Unusual Suspects select four South Bay youth to participate
in debut leadership program
South Bay, Calif., July 19, 2007 -- The Unusual Suspects are
proud to announce the 2007 Unusual Suspects leadership interns .
Four outstanding student leaders from Narbonne High School were
selected, reflecting diversity in leadership, interests, skills
and goals.
The Leadership Internship program provides an opportunity for
alumni to re-invest their time and energy in the organization
that first inspired them to reach their potential and set
previously unimaginable goals. The interns will work in a
peer-to-peer mentorship capacity and will receive over 50 hours
of training over the course of the program.
Meet the 2007 Unusual Suspects Leadership Interns:
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VALERIE GODIN, Age: 16
“I decided to come back this year to meet new people and to
experience new things. I
can be a positive role model and if people look at me they can
say, ‘if she can do it, I
can do it.’”
Interests: Going to the mall
with friends and helping out with her sisters.
*Valerie is currently in ROTC program at Narbonne H.S. and plans
to attend the Navy
after graduation.
STEPHAN JACKSON, Age: 17
“In this program I want to pass down everything I learned
from The Unusual Suspects to
other people such as improving teamwork skills, learning more
about theatre and having a greater influence on people. A leader
teaches and inspires others. I can’t wait for the workshops
every week!”
Interests: Anime drawing,
video games & hanging out with friends.
*Stephan will be a freshman at Otis College of the Arts in Fall
2007.
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ANTHONY LUMBAB, Age: 16
“I was interested in this internship at first because I want
to gain work experience,
after all this will be my first job and it should be fun. I also
had a really positive
experience with the show we did last year. I gained a higher
appreciation for theater. I
plan on being a leader to the rest of the group by showing them
the ropes, setting a
good example, doing my part and stepping forward.”
Interests: Playing football
with friends and family, paint balling and basketball.
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ADAM WALLER, Age: 16
“I hope to gain better people skills and do something
constructive rather than
getting into trouble. A good leader is understanding, and
compromises to a
certain extent. You have to be devoted and consistent. It’s more
than just
trying to get something out of it selfishly, but instead it’s
about doing the right
thing to make a difference. Before, quitting was an easy way out
for me, but
now I’ve learned to stick things out.”
Interests: Filmmaking,
directing and writing.
* A true entrepreneur, Adam
recently began his own business of customized t-shirts, Waller
Vision.
