Minority Achievement Council teaches leadership skills to VHHS students

For the past 11 years, the Minority Achievement Council at Vestavia Hills High School has helped minority students learn leadership skills while giving back to their school and community.

Pauline Parker, co-sponsor of the council and a teacher at VHHS, said the group originally started as an all-boys group, but in 2011, it was expanded to include girls as well. The council is modeled after and associated with a national group, holding a similar mission statement and goals, Parker said.

“Our whole mission is serving the community and developing leadership skills,” Parker said. “The goal of MAC is to learn and understand different cultures, but most importantly the students are exposed to serving and giving back to their community thus gaining a sense of purpose by serving others.”

Students must be invited to the council and must meet certain requirements, including having an average GPA of 3.0 and committing to 25 volunteer hours for the year. Parker, along with band director and council co-sponsor Jerrell Horton and parents, help lead the council in volunteer projects and learning leadership skills. It is also mandatory that each student attend the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event each year, Parker said.

Each year, the council has between 25 and 30 students, Parker said.

Students read books written by leaders around the world, Parker said, and discuss what they can learn from them. Parker and other leaders also use current events and news to talk about pertinent issues, as well as teaching students about the skillsets needed to be a leader. One member is responsible for bringing a motivational message or quote to help inspire students, who also learn the group’s pledge, Parker said.

“It’s something to aspire to be a part of,” Parker said of the council. “... I can’t see a loss in this. I think the students win all the way around.”

Parker said minority students sometimes feel they won’t be able to get votes if they run for certain student-led positions within the school, but the council has helped some members be named homecoming queen and Mr. Vestavia.

The council also participates in fundraisers led by VHHS students, like the RISE fundraiser. In the past, the council has donated as much as $5,000 after fundraisers, Parker said. Parker uses her connections, like helping lead City Youth Connection in Birmingham and being part of Alpha Kappa Alpha, to coordinate volunteer opportunities for council members, but students take a leading role with the projects, she said.

“They run all of these activities,” Parker said. “... [It] shows [students] how to take on a test and be successful.”

Council members also take part in community events, like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, where they’ll cheer on race participants and raise money, Parker said. In the past, they’ve also raised money for kidney research, as Parker said African-Americans tend to have higher rates of kidney problems.

After students complete their volunteer hours, Parker will write them a recommendation letter to help them get college scholarships, and she’ll also help them if they choose to pursue membership in a fraternity or sorority in college, she said.

“You need that person to speak for you,” Parker said.

The council meets every week until homecoming, and then they meet once a month, Parker said, with the council continuing to work on fundraisers and supporting one another like any other club in the school.

Students on the council are motivated to keep up their grades, Parker said, because of the GPA requirements, which in turn leads to members of Youth Leadership Vestavia Hills and the National Honor Society being on the council.

Parker said she hopes the group continues to expand its reach, both inside and outside of the school.

“We never try to step backward,” Parker said. “We are always focused on moving forward and upward.”