November 23, 2009
Kevin James ‘11C is the first St. John’s student selected to
participate in the nonprofit Institute for Responsible
Citizenship, a national organization that admits “the best and
the brightest” African-American applicants nationwide for
leadership training through high-profile internships.
Out of 400 applicants across the country, only 16 are chosen. “I
wasn’t sure I’d make it – it’s really a national honor,” said
Kevin, whose experience included an internship this past summer
with the J.C. Watts Companies, a major consulting firm in
Washington, D.C.
St. John’s administrators urged Kevin to apply because of his
enthusiastic contributions to student life at the
Staten Island campus. Early in his St. John’s career, Kevin also
earned distinction as an invited participant in the University’s
Executive Leadership Program, which prepares students to motivate
others through two weeks of academics and service overseas.
Through the program, Kevin traveled to Puerto Rico and to St.
John’s campus in Rome, Italy, where
he found that inspiring others is a sign of effective leadership.
Kevin has integrated St. John’s emphasis on service into his own
life, becoming a leader who calls others to action. “St. John’s has
taught me that you can work for justice from within the system –
there is no ‘us versus them,’ only ‘we.’”