CCI Participant Establishes New Student Club at Host College

Community College Initiative (CCI) Program participant Kandiosky N’guessan from Cote d’Ivoire began his exchange year with a clear goal: “Coming to the U.S., I wanted to be part of something great in my school. My objective was to get leadership skills through my participation in the campus activities.”

Kandiosky, who is studying Logistics and Global Supply Chain Management at Houston Community College (HCC), was quick to work toward his goal and get involved in his host campus. In the fall, he joined HCC’s Student Entrepreneur Club on Houston’s Central Campus. He didn’t stop at just being a member – he was elected to serve as the club’s president.

At the same time as he was developing his leadership skills in the Student Entrepreneur Club, Kandiosky dove into his coursework and began building relationships with his instructors. With a desire to make the most of both experiences, Kandiosky decided he also wanted to join a club focused on his field of study: logistics.

The problem? No such club existed.

“For me it was incredible not to have such a club when we consider the opportunities related to logistics and supply chain available in the city of Houston,” Kandiosky said.

So he got to work. Kandiosky sought faculty support for creating a logistics club and learned about HCC’s process for creating a new campus organization. After submitting a constitution, recruiting members and officers, and establishing faculty advisors, Kandiosky received approval to start the HCC Logistics Student Club and lead the club as its president.

Throughout the spring semester, the club membership grew to 30 students from across different HCC campuses. One of the club’s objectives is to expose HCC students to the professional world of logistics management through mentorship, sites visits, conferences, and more. At the club’s first activity in March, students visited the Houston Food Bank warehouse to learn about the logistics practices and management for a large-scale organization. They also packaged food for the Food Bank to distribute. Kandiosky said, “For our first off-campus activity, we wanted to demonstrate a civic spirit to the community by helping in the warehouse of the Houston Food Bank. We not only gave back to the community but learned as well.”

By starting this new club at HCC, Kandiosky exemplifies how CCI participants’ presence and involvement creates rich learning experiences for all students at their host colleges in the United States. His leadership initiative serves as a positive model for CCI participants and domestic students alike. “I took it as a challenge and went through it all,” he said.