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Neighborhood College Graduate Launches Business!

 Ms. CheriseMattheson, a Cohort 4 DC Neighborhood College graduate, recently launched her own business, cebonyRISE, aimed at encouraging students and young adults to reach their full professional potential. Ms. Mattheson's inspiration for this new venture came largely from her desire to make a difference, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her unique personal experience. Growing up with a single mother, Ms. Mattheson preoccupied her afterschool time with programs such as Girl Scouts and the Educational Talent Search Program, which helped to develop her character and build her confidence. She was motivated further when CNN's "Black in America" series detailed the story of a young female who, despite being raised by two parents suffering from addictions, was accepted into college. According to Cherise, "seeing her cry and knowing that college would change her life was the moment I had an epiphany...I had a responsibility to make sure other youth with similar experiences are offered opportunities." Ms. Mattheson's inspiration reached its fruition when she was accepted into the DC Neighborhood College program with the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership. It was in this program that Ms. Mattheson learned practical skills, such as project management, conflict resolution, leadership, and public speaking, which she is now applying to her business cebonyRISE. As part of the Neighborhood College, she also became a member of the GW community, providing her with a network of service-oriented alumni.

Ms. Mattheson's company is directed at aspiring college-bound students, whom she seeks to empower through her formula, R.I.S.E (Research, Investment, Service, and Education). One of cebonyRISE's main goals is to develop research skills in young adults and to raise awareness about the abundance of professional research. Ms. Mattheson also believes that investment means not only teaching the benefits of time and financial investment, but also investing time and effort in the youth themselves.  The Service and Education aspects of the R.I.S.E. formula offer service and community building opportunities to young adults who in turn build character, utilize knowledge, and develop skills in real world situations.

The Center for Excellence in Public Leadership would like to congratulate Ms. Mattheson on her personal journey and on the formation of cebonyRISE. For more information or to contribute, please visit: http://www.cebonyrise.webs.com.

 

Neighborhood College Graduates Participate in Call Box Unveiling

Neighborhood College graduates Thelma D. Jones and Carolyn Mitchell, representing the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, participated in the unveiling of Washington DC's newest call box art piece on May 17th, 2009.  The call box, located at 1st and G ST in the Southwest neighborhood honors Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  Also in attendance at the ceremony were DC Councilman Tommy Wells, Justice Marshall's wife, Cecilia "Cissy" Marshall, ANC Commissioner David Sobelsohn, and

Ms. Annie King Phillips, the artist responsible for creating the display.

The call box is part of Art on Call, a city-wide effort led by Cultural Tourism DC to restore Washington DC's abandoned police and fire call boxes as neighborhood artistic icons. Cultural Tourism DC partners with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the District Department of Transportation on this initiative. Watch the unveiling ceremony here.

Neighborhood College Graduates Advocate for Community Benefits

Like many jurisdictions, DC uses a process called the Planned Unit Development (PUD) which requires community leaders to negotiate with developers.  Unfortunately, when communities negotiate with developers, they often lack the knowledge and experience to evaluate proposed Community Benefits Agreements.  That puts them at a disadvantage compared to the more experienced developer, argued a

team from the DC Neighborhood College public leadership program.  Capitol Hill ANC Commissioner Ryan Velasco and Yvette Rector analyzed this problem as their project for the DC Neighborhood College.  As a result, they recommended a searchable "PUD database" containing the benefits from each PUD.  This would enable communities negotiating agreements to compare the developer's offer against similar projects, ultimately leading to deals which offer more benefits to the community.  Read the full store here.

 

Neighborhood College Spurs Community Building Efforts

Neighborhood College graduates Nancy Shia and Mital Gandhi were featured in a March 12th, 2008 article of The Northwest Current, a local community newspaper.  The article highlighted efforts to improve their communities through their Neighborhood College projects.  Download a copy of the article here.