Becoming E.M.E.R.A.L.D. program provides local high school students tools to be successful

SNOW HILL, Md. – Empowered. Motivated. Engaged. Resourceful. Able. Linked. Devoted.

Those tools are what the Princess Anne Maryland Chapter of The Links Incorporated hopes to implant in female students at Snow Hill High School through its Becoming E.M.E.R.A.L.D program.

It takes a holistic approach to professional development. “What better way to take our leadership skills, our expertise, our knowledge, our experiences and bring it here to a school for students who are really like sponges who are able to just soak it all up,” Program Director Chalarra Sessoms said.

“And what’s so impactful about Becoming E.M.E.R.A.L.D is that every profession that you can imagine has stepped into this school building and shared their experiences with these young ladies,” Snow Hill High School Principal Dr. Kimberly Purvis said.

The organization provides programming to the community under five areas of focus, with International Trends and Services being highlighted this week as members shared their experiences visiting Ghana. “Sometimes we stay narrow. We stay in spaces that seem safe to us. We want to make sure kids have open minds and that they want to go to these places.  They can look at us and say hey I can go there,” Dr. Purvis said.

Sessions also include discussions on access to mental health resources to mentorship. Students tell 47abc, this exposure has them thinking about how bright their futures can be. “My aunt is a social worker and I always wanted to work with kids but I didn’t want to be a teacher,” 9th grade student Kendal Brittingham said. “I want kids to look up to me and I just want to be able to help kids out.”

Snow Hill High School Principal and The Links Inc. member Dr. Kimberly Purvis says they hope to make a lasting impact on students and broaden their horizons. “When I’m having a tough time in my life or a student is having a tough time, they can say I can reach out to one of those ladies who mentored us when we were in high school,” Dr. Purvis said.

“Some of us haven’t even been friends with people in there and now we like all close and stuff,” 9th grade student Kanajah Jackson said.

Programming also focuses on building students from the ground up, as they were given becoming journals to encourage the ladies to find and use their voices.

The group will end this session with a field trip to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in April.

If you’d like to find out more about the program or the organization, visit their Facebook page here.