MENTORING: GE African American Forum (AAF) has adopted WALIPP-TSU to establish a positive link between GE Houston AAF and our community and to give back to the community through leadership roles, time, positive energy, knowledge and personal commitment.

ROLE MODELS: Nu Boule is a professional fraternity whose members share their experiences with our students to assist them in navigating the world and becoming productive members of the community.  Nu Boule’s commitment to community service is evident in the assembly sessions for the young men at WALIPP-TSU.  Speakers in 2007-2008 have included doctors, corporate managers, lawyers, and business owners in assembly settings.

SOCIAL WORK: By engaging TSU social work students for their field experiences in our classrooms, WALIPP-TSU faculty is receiving valuable assistance while gaining an increased understanding of the issues that challenge our students.

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING: Eighth grade boys are participating in college instruction on computer programming languages.  These students are gaining skills that will serve them well as students and as employees!

ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS: This volunteer effort has been fully supported by Exxon to consistently guide the construction and implementation of the WALIPP-TSU computer room.  In addition to working with our system’s infrastructure, Dr. Watkins is giving students hands-on experience with computer installation and setup.  These students are much more than just “keyboarders” – they understand the technology that drives their learning.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY: The UTMB Herman Barnett Memorial Exhibit was displayed as a ‘working exhibit”, a community partnership to encourage students to pursue careers in science and medicine.  It described the life and history of the first African-American to graduate in Medicine in the State of Texas, to serve on the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners and to be elected to the Board of Trustees of Houston Independent School District.  This program came to WALIPP from the UH Institute and UT-Medical Branch.

DRAMATIC ARTS: The Ensemble Theatre is currently preparing our students to deliver a presentation for the agency’s Spring Luncheon and introduces students to role-playing, creative exercises, improvisation, physical movement, breathing, vocal warm-ups and other basic performance techniques.  The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community.