Jerome Wiggins joined Liberty Partnerships Program as a freshman at Binghamton High School before graduating with a degree in psychology from SUNY Oneonta in 2021.
But LPP was a part of Jerome’s life before he even entered high school. That’s because his older brothers were already in the program when Jerome was in middle school. So, when the time came to join LPP, Jerome’s decision to continue the legacy was an easy one.
By getting involved in LPP right away and by joining sports teams, Jerome started his freshman year with a built-in support network of counselors and teachers.
“Going into high school, (joining LPP) gives you the opportunity to be able to meet people,” he said, adding that it was also helpful to know that any student could go to the LPP classroom if they were having a hard time adjusting to high school.
While in school, LPP offered motivation to do well both academically and personally. Jerome said LPP counselors always made time to help with academics, which motivated him to set and reach higher standards for his performance in school.
“You don’t want to disappoint your LPP leaders, in a way. They did whatever they could to support you. You want to make sure you took that support and actually used it,” he said.
He described the LPP classroom as a place where anyone in the program could take a break from the stress of school. That environment taught him a valuable lesson: “Even in a stressful space, there can be a safe space,” he said. It’s a lesson he put to use throughout college, in his career, and in high school.
As a member of the track, cross county, and swim teams, Jerome knew plenty of people in school. But he said LPP helped him meet people outside of his everyday circle, broaden his horizons, and experience his community in ways he otherwise wouldn’t have.
“When you’re young, you wake up, you go to school, and then you go home. Unless you’re given the opportunity or put in the position to meet people outside of that, you kind of just stay in that realm of yourself,” he said.
Jerome started volunteering at different LPP youth programs as a high school student, giving him experience supervising activities for children, as well as working with professionals and parents. But – to Jerome – those kinds of volunteer opportunities never sounded like too much work.
When asked if he wanted to help out, his response was always: “Sounds like fun!”
As an upperclassman, he participated in Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY), a summer program where students completed projects around the city. His favorite CITY project was helping to paint a mural on the exterior wall of a local apartment building.
The concept for the mural – which the CITY students came up with together – was all about taking care of the environment. “We got to meet an artist who helped us with the design and then we pretty much painted the entire thing,” he said.
He recalled that the final result got a lot of positive feedback from residents and neighbors. “It really made the area look really nice and vibrant again,” he said.
Even though Jerome graduated from his LPP program eight years ago, he continues to volunteer at the annual Empire Promise Youth Summit. It was the same event he attended as a high school student, but with a more playful and interactive approach to leadership development.
Jerome’s role as a volunteer at the Empire Promise Youth Summit was to help guide the kids through different challenges and activities that teach lessons about leadership, resilience, and resourcefulness.
He said the resources LPP is able to offer its students is one of the program’s biggest overall strengths – especially because parents, family members, and teachers may not always have the answers or experience students need to navigate a situation.
“It’s not about what you know. It’s about who you know, and in an environment like that, you can know a lot of people,” he said.