Jesutofunmi Akerele

Learnt about the new student success program- STRIVE, which consists of, but is not limited to, the resources the program offers, like tutoring, one-on-one mentoring, workshops, power circles, and a prestigious leadership program called STRIVE Academy. I now know more about the program, which is a reform of the previous DMSI and WOW programs, and I am excited for it. I stayed back after the presentation was over to network and get in touch with the staff and resources connected to the program, which is why I allocated an hour and thirty minutes.

Jesutofunmi Akerele  1 year ago Whenever I do not make a new impact from scratch, like for instance, when I select an event that was already entered in by you guys, like this STRIVE event for example, it does not let me add a verifier. It automatically says the special scholarship team is the verifier. For reference though, if it still needs to be verified by someone else, here is Ross's email as my verifier: merlinrj@pgcc.edu. Thank you.

Learnt the requirements to stay in the scholarship program as continuing students. Some of these requirements include joining 2 mini sessions throughout the semester, as well as joining the refresh session and the end-of-year session. Additionally, all 15 engagement hours must be generated here at school.

DMSI Dream Chaser & Tech Conference. I was a volunteer for this conference. Helped serve breakfast, directed students to their various workshop locations, and assisted presenters. I was also able to learn from star motivational speaker Dr. Joe Johnson. It was an impactful event where I learnt about the power of realizing my potential, getting out of my comfort zone and going after what I want.

DMSI session: "The Power Circle: Networking and Building Success". We learnt about the power of networking, its value and importance, as well as tips on doing it. I also learnt about ways to have a stronger personal brand, which after I then presented to the group.

Day 4 DMSI Trip: Black Brown College Bound Summit 2025, Tampa, Florida.
Represented PGCC alongside 15 other students at the BBCB Summit in Tampa. On the last day, we had a student panel where we heard from different students about issues that are ravaging our communities, including colleges. 3 of the 6 panelists were from PGCC, as we had the most participation throughout the conference. We supported our DMSI brothers as well as participated in the discussions too by asking questions. To end the summit, we had a session by Stedman Graham who spoke to us on overcoming our fears and staying consistent.

Day 3 DMSI Trip: Black Brown College Bound Summit 2025, Tampa, Florida.
Represented PGCC alongside 15 other students at the BBCB Summit in Tampa. On the third day, we went into more breakout sessions. I attended sessions on being your best self by Omari Hardwick, mental health session by doctors, changing your past by Jeremy Williams, etc. We also had a networking dinner where we went table to table networking with people, from career professionals, faculty members, students etc.

Day 2 DMSI Trip: Black Brown College Bound Summit 2025, Tampa, Florida.
Represented PGCC alongside 15 other students at the BBCB Summit in Tampa. On the second day, we went into workshops. I attending workshops like building a personal brand by wells fargo employers, Strategic career planning by Mark McKinney, NASA presentation by Jose Hernandez, financial management by Suncoast credit union, etc.

Day 1 DMSI Trip: Black Brown College Bound Summit 2025, Tampa, Florida.
Represented PGCC alongside 15 other students at the BBCB Summit in Tampa. We got to hear LaTanya Sheffield speak to us on making sacrifices and working towards our goals. We networked and met people from different states, professions and career paths, while representing Prince George's Community College through DMSI.