MANSFIELD, Ohio — As part of the LeaderRichland program, seventh and eighth grade male students from Crestline, Plymouth-Shiloh and Ontario middle schools had the opportunity Wednesday to hear from area professionals, who reinforced the idea that Richland County has various opportunities available for academic and professional development.
LeaderRichland is a five-day program held at The Ohio State University at Mansfield (OSU-Mansfield) and North Central State College (NCSC) Campus. It began Thursday, May 14 and ends Thursday, May 21. Each day starts at 9:15 a.m. and wraps up around 1:30 p.m. Students break into groups and visit different places on campus, where they sit in on 30 minute sessions led by area professionals.
The program–which is presented by OSU-Mansfield, NCSC and Richland Community Development Group (RCDG)–enables students to view the college campus, meet with a variety of community leaders and engage with those leaders on topics pertinent to the students’ future career choices.
Over 1,300 students from 13 schools will have participated in the program. Each year, the program alternates between middle school boys and girls.
LeaderRichland launched in Shelby during the 2011-2012 academic year and received enthusiastic response from over 175 students, 20 educators, 23 community leaders and 14 representatives of higher education. Richland County Commissioner Marilyn John spearheaded the development of this program.
Prior to participating in their breakout sessions, the students were welcomed by campus leaders, who shared some information about the purpose of the program. Nick Orosan, senior director of development at OSU-Mansfield, said, “LeaderRichland is really about giving you some time and space today to think about the next four or five years of your life. It’s not going to be too long before you graduate from high school.”
He asked students if they planned on leaving Richland County after they graduated from high school. A large majority of the students raised their hands in affirmation.
“I felt the same,” he said. “I wanted something different.”
About 10 years ago, he returned to the area, he said, noting, “There are a lot of opportunities here.” He asked that they consider what opportunities they might be interested in pursuing locally.
Cameron Todd, a seventh-grader at Ontario Middle School, was among those who said he wants to leave the county after graduation to attend OSU in Columbus. “I like bigger places and being around more people,” he said. He hopes to get a job in “anything that involves sports,” he said.
Conversely, Devin Grose, a Plymouth-Shiloh eighth-grader, said he’d like to stay in the area after graduation to be close to family. “I want to watch my baby sister grow up,” he said.
