Houston Community College’s Southwest chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) hosted an open meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 4th at 5:30p.m. at the Stafford campus Learning Hub.

Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof discussed how one person can make a difference in a streamed presentation watched live by NSLS chapters across the nation. WuDunn and Kristof are Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and best-selling authors of Half the Sky and A Path Appears.

“We can have an impact,” Kristof claimed. He shared the story of 9-year-old Rachel, whose Charity Water birthday fundraiser raised over a million dollars to build wells in Ethiopia after she died in a car-accident in 2011.

“All of our lives are chaotic and random. If we can find some way to connect to a cause, we can give it [our lives] some overlying purpose.” Kristof explained.

“I think we know that helping people is harder than it looks,” Kristof admitted, “but we can have an effect and that’s profoundly reassuring.” He added that, “I’ve become a believer in drops in the bucket.”

WuDunn and Kristof were asked, what can college students do to make a difference? “You don’t have to just give – there’s advocacy,” WuDunn said. She told students to, “Look into something you care about [. . .] Follow an interest you have. Do it with friends.” Kristof recommended using Facebook and Twitter as platforms for advocacy.

Lanecia Whittington has been a HCC-SW NSLS chapter member since last spring. When asked about NSLS keynote speakers she said, “I like how they talk about leadership,” adding that, “They all share a different experience.”

Whittington said the greatest benefits of being an NSLS member are, “Connecting, meeting with people who are on the same path as you, [and] building relationships. In the breakout we’re about to do, I can talk about my short term and long term goals. And if there is someone who has been through something similar, they can share and help me.”

The National Society of Leadership and Success is an honor society with over 200 chapters. It was founded in 2001 and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

The NSLS website lists several current chapters at HCC. Criteria for membership varies from chapter to chapter.

• Southwest chapter Adviser Sheryl Holland : sherylholland@hccs.edu
• Northwest chapter Adviser Tiffany Driver : tiffany.driver@hccs.edu
• Southeast chapter Adviser Paul Patterson: paul.patterson@hccs.edu