11/27/03

Longhorn Leaders: Making a Difference
By Carrie Kaiser

	Derrick Johnson

Seventh grade can be a very trying and uncertain time in life as a few more rungs of the ladder between adolescence and adulthood are reached. This period is a critical point in terms of shaping the outcomes of one's life. It is a time where things can fall into place or where life might take a turn for the worse. It is a time when the Longhorn Leaders step in and try to make a difference.

The Longhorn Leaders arrived on the scene this semester through the mind of the Clara Pope Willoughby Centennial Professor in Criminal Justice, Dr. Michael Lauderdale. After listening to the thoughts of several athletes through various classes he leads, Dr. Lauderdale developed Social Work 360: Leadership in the Community.

The focal program of the class, Longhorn Leaders, utilizes the visibility of upper-class student athletes to promote the values of strong leadership, participation and discipline into a language seventh graders can relate to.

"The four-part goal of the program is to convey good choices," Dr. Lauderdale said. "These are to stay in school, make the best possible grades, stay away from trouble by avoiding gangs, drugs and pregnancy, and finish school and work for success in life."

The football players in this program include RB Cedric Benson, S Phillip Geiggar, RB Eric Hall, WR Tony Jeffery, RB Anthony Johnson, LB Derrick Johnson, FB Will Matthews, QB Chance Mock, P Justin Smith and WR Roy Williams.

They traveled to Pearce and Martin Middle Schools in Austin three times each this semester to speak to the seventh graders and took turns delivering their unique messages. Each player reflected on his own seventh grade experience and prepared a message through his personal story to connect with the kids.

"We just go out and try to give a good message to the kids and show them that there is hope," junior Chance Mock said. "Sometimes you have to fight through adversity and fight through things to get where you want to go, but the main thing is that you can reach your goals."

This unique partnership involves the Longhorn athletes, the UT School of Social Work, the Greater Austin Crime Commission, the Austin Police Department and the Austin Independent School District. The purpose of this partnership is to relay to the seventh graders that the police and school officials are here to help with their development and educational experiences.

"The presentations are about making the junior high kids aware of how much education is a big part of their success in life," junior Derrick Johnson said. "We give them a little background from our experiences and tips on how to get where we are now. They look to us as role models, so what better way to get across the importance of education?"

The athletes come to speak not as authority figures, but as peers, and to provide an alternative, positive message to adolescent delinquency. Dr. Lauderdale intends on continuing the program in the future, moving on to Pearce Middle School next semester, because of the positive feedback.

"These athletes are very visible individuals, and if they can tell their personal stories it might be very powerful for those seventh grade students," Dr. Lauderdale said. "Certainly the schools and neighborhoods have gotten very excited about this."