“The mission of Morehouse College is to develop men with disciplined minds who will live lives of leadership and service.”
~ Excerpt, Morehouse College Mission Statement
As BN360, the Partnership’s young professional engagement and development program, kicks off its 2019 programming year, we sat down with Rachael Herrmann, our BN360 Program Manager, to learn more about BN360 and how it can help young professionals throughout the region achieve their professional goals in 2019.
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is pleased to present the 2019 BN360 Spotlight Professionals, sponsored by Alpine Films.
Growing up on the east side of Buffalo in municipal housing, as long as I can remember, the greatest point of college entry and later success was through sports. However, unlike most kids in my neighborhood whose end goal was to play for the NFL or the NBA, I wanted to be like my dad. He was a hard worker; a God-fearing man who treasured his family above all. Like many other African American men in my community, college was not an option for him. Nonetheless, he did everything he could to make ends meet.
As an Urban Planner I am often asking clients, community members, stakeholders and elected leadership to articulate their “why”. Sometimes the “why” surfaces through a series of questions or public engagement activities. In my profession, everyone I interact with has an opinion or an insight that needs to be captured, digested and turned into usable data, which eventually informs a neighborhood, municipal, district, regional plan or public space design.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a garbage man. I thought it would be really cool to cruise around town hanging off the back of the truck! I also, gave some serious thought to being a professional football player or a rock star, and when those didn’t pan out, I considered going into Psychology. However, I remembered that while I was growing up I spent many of my weekends sweeping and mopping floors at the chemical etching/metal fabrication business that my father built.
When I was an undergrad in college, I read a book that included the following statement:
The idea of social responsibility and service to others is deeply rooted in our values. National Service plays a critical role in strengthening communities across our nation. AmeriCorps members are serving in areas devastated from natural disasters, providing support in battling the opioid epidemic, working with students to improve educational outcomes, fighting hunger addressing the root causes of poverty and the list goes on.
I grew up in Amherst, NY, in the Hamlet of Snyder, where walking and riding my bike were my main means of transportation to school and work at the local public library.
Growing up, I couldn’t wait for summer. Long days, that seemed to last forever, filled with endless sports and time with friends. Then it became time to go back to school. I knew from my first day of Pre-K that it just wasn’t for me. With the exception of sports, friends, and socializing, I never would have made it. In most classes, I watched the clock slowly tick to the moment it was time to go.
