OCCC has opened applications this spring for its President’s Leadership Class, a selective program entering its 16th year of connecting students with leadership training and prominent figures who come and engage with the class.
According to Liz Largent, vice president for academic affairs, PLC was established to give students an opportunity that extends beyond traditional classroom instruction.
“President (Paul) Sechrist began PLC as a way to provide an opportunity for students to learn practical leadership skills by engaging with leaders from various sectors of business and industry across the OKC metro,” Largent said. “President (Mautra) Jones continues this tradition, adding her own expertise and experience to the classroom.”
While OCCC has long offered leadership opportunities through its Student Life department, Largent said that nothing like PLC existed at the college prior to its creation.
Enrollment in PLC is limited. Past classes have included 24 students selected from a competitive pool that can reach as many as 100 applicants in some years. Students apply in the spring and are notified of acceptance by the end of the semester, with a scholarship element being a part of PLC since the program’s inception.
Most PLC class sessions feature guest speakers selected by the president. While some speakers return for multiple years, others rotate, providing students with exposure to a range of leadership styles and career paths.
For many students, the most impactful aspect of PLC is hearing directly from leaders about their personal and professional journeys. Largent said students often connect most strongly with speakers who share challenges and setbacks alongside their successes.
“Understanding that many leaders face similar challenges to themselves is what students most often note as the most inspiring part of participation in PLC,” she said.
Aboubakar Kone, an OCCC student who got to experience what PLC has to offer firsthand, reflected on his experience with the class and what the major takeaways were for him.
“I sincerely enjoyed being exposed to the guest speakers and talking to them,” he said. “I realized that they were once where we are now as students. They did not just wake up in their position of success. They had to make a lot of sacrifices and go through a lot.”
PLC graduates have gone on to hold leadership positions at transfer institutions, start small businesses and find success in a wide range of professional fields, Largent said.
“It is always fun to hear from them after they’ve graduated from OCCC and learn of all they’re achieving,” she said.
Largent noted that working with students is one of the most rewarding aspects of her role at the college.
“Working with OCCC students in any capacity is rewarding,” she said. “I am inspired every day by our students; their challenges and resilience are inspiring.”
For Kone, seeing those same challenges and resilience in the leaders he got to interact with was similarly inspiring.
“I saw human beings like me facing challenges and reaching their goals and thought, ‘Why not me?'”
