History of Guide Right – In the infancy of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity when chapters were blossoming and flourishing throughout the length and breadth of the United States, both individual and collective efforts were being made to incorporate meaningful programs into the various local chapter activities. The very foundation of Guide Right can be traced to the St. Louis Alumni Chapter and Leon W. Steward, who rightfully is dubbed as the “Father of the Guide Right Movement”. According to the story of Kappa Alpha Psi, soon after the St. Louis Alumni Chapter’s beginning in 1921, Brothers Leon W. Steward and J. Jerome Peters were assigned to study the needs of active chapters for guidance and funds and to devise a “meaningful and practical approach” to the problem. Ultimately, Brother Steward, a Y.M.C.A. secretary, proposed a program of guidance to the designated as Guide Right, with the purpose of assisting high school seniors to choose and pursue useful careers, consistent with fraternity purpose.
This program was immediately adopted at the local level and the 12th Grand Chapter adopted Guide Right as the national service program. The focus of Guide Right, from its inception, was to provide scholarships to needy and talented students, and to inform young people in the professions and career options.
The founding objectives of Guide Rights may be summarized as follows:
- To Create the Next Generation of Leaders via Leadership Development
- Prepare students for college
- Mentor students to college graduation
- To positively impact youth through mentoring and training
- To prepare youth for academic success in middle school, high school and college
- To learn by interaction, doing and group dynamics
Core Initiatives:
- STEM: Activities include getting involved with NSBE Jr, STE Career Fair, Utilize code.org for free programming training. Microsoft free STEM training.
- College Success: Mentoring for college. 90% Graduation Rate. Facilitate Undergrad/Alumni partnership for the mentoring
- College Prep Series: Naviance an online tool to assist students in preparing for college; Diamonds in the Rough webinars (DITR); FAFSA Awareness;
- College Signing Day, recognizing graduating high school seniors going to college.
- Positive Video Reporting – KLTV:Creating positive video recordings of Guide Right achievements.
Enhanced Initiatives & Partnerships:
- Virtual College Tours
- Virtual College Conversations
- Online Leadership Conference
- STEM Drone Competition & Hackathons
- Diamonds in the Rough Webinars
- #iamachievement
- #whykappasmentor
- #guiderightcommunityservice
- National Kappa League Conference
- Financial Literacy program
The Trenton Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi’s commitment to young people is well established, and our Guide Right efforts, both individual and collective, can continue to serve as a mechanism to “inspire service in the public interest”.