COPPERAS COVE, Texas – West Point, New York is a town that is synonymous with the military and leadership.
In October, Crossroads High School student Jayla Hayes was one of just 10 students from across the country who made the trek thanks to a scholarship from the Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program hosted at the U.S. Military Academy campus.
“This scholarship has made me a better leader and a better S2S member,” Hayes said. “It has shown me many ways to benefit our S2S program. It was a great honor to be selected.”
Hayes is active in Student-to-Student (S2S) at Crossroads, an initiative through the Military Child Education Coalition which works to join civilian students with military-connected students to provide support and ease transition for military-connected students and their families.
The Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program is a week long and is designed to grow and sustain the S2S program at local campuses.
“I feel it will not only help me, but many students feel welcomed and appreciated when coming to a new school moving forward,” Hayes said. “It will make me feel great just knowing every new student coming in feels welcomed.”
Crossroads’ S2S program was key in the school’s effort to earn a Purple Star Campus designation in August, a remarkable accomplishment for an alternative & non-traditional school like Crossroads.
“Often the students at Crossroads feel as though they have a limited pathway,” Crossroads HS counselor Mrs. Audrey Trahan said. “With Jayla going to West Point Academy and winning a scholarship, it just opens doors that they may not have thought would ever be open for people like them. This is an opportunity for Jayla to not only see her own successes, but be a model student for others at Crossroads and in CCISD.”