ISSUED: 3 April 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University will expand a popular college-readiness program thanks to a $172,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
The foundation awarded the grant to Shepherd’s Julia Franks, chief of staff for the Division of Student Affairs, and Danielle Stephenson, student success coach, to establish the new Rising Leaders Program.
Shepherd’s L.E.A.D.S. (Leadership. Education. Action. Development. Service.) program lets high school seniors spend a week of the summer before their first year to learn more about navigating college.
Thanks to the Benedum Foundation grant, the Rising Leaders Program will expand L.E.A.D.S. to offer early post-secondary intervention services for rising West Virginia high school seniors, leading to increased civic engagement, self-discovery, and higher educational attainment.
“Without the funds for this program, we wouldn’t be able to provide students with this opportunity,” Franks said. “The goal is to alleviate the hurdles of uncertainty about a student’s future, whether that includes college, entering the workforce, or exploring additional opportunities for personal growth by exposing them to civic engagement activities.”
Along with the experience and knowledge participants gain about what to expect in college, students in the L.E.A.D.S. program also engage in community service projects, something Franks said will be important for the Rising Leaders program when it begins in the summer of 2026.
“Rising Leaders focuses on five key components to help rising high school seniors prepare for college,” she said. “We want students to learn about self-discovery, be able to do some regional exploration, engage in academic experiences, learn leadership skills, and engage with their community.”
Like the L.E.A.D.S. program, Rising Leaders includes classroom instruction and field experiences, with trips to the region’s historic and nature-based locations.
“The Rising Leaders program will include workshops and speakers to address the importance of giving back to one’s community and the infinite benefits of community service,” Franks said. “The program will include helping students learn about identifying strengths and interests, empowering them to advocate for themselves and others, putting others first, gaining on-the-job skills, networking, and widening their breadth of knowledge, all while helping others.”
Simultaneously, the program will provide key information and knowledge to help students become college-ready.
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