Calvin C. Craig IV, an alumnus of the Reich College of Education’s professional school counseling graduate program, has been named an emerging leader in the North Carolina School Counseling Association’s (NCSCA) Emerging Leaders program.
The goal of the program is to identify potential leaders within the school counseling profession in North Carolina and provide them with opportunities to become involved with NCSCA.
In 2017, Craig attended his first NCSCA conference and was introduced to the program. Since that time, it has been one of his goals to be a part of the Emerging Leaders program.
“It feels amazing to be an emerging leader,” exclaimed Craig. “Now that I have worked as a school counselor for three years and feel confident in my abilities, this felt like a great time to apply, and I am so happy I did!”
While a graduate student, Appalachian State University provided many opportunities that contributed to Craig’s professional and personal growth.
“During my first year of graduate school my professors emphasized the importance of having a professional identity,” he noted. “They helped me develop my identity by taking time to understand what aspects of the profession I am passionate about and brainstorm ways I can do meaningful work related to them.”
“During my first year of graduate school my professors emphasized the importance of having a professional identity,” he noted. “They helped me develop my identity by taking time to understand what aspects of the profession I am passionate about and brainstorm ways I can do meaningful work related to them.”
“From reviewing articles I wrote for publications as well as collaborating with them on research projects and presentations, they made sure I was well equipped to be a change agent in this profession,” he continued. “I graduated already having publication and presentation experience on my resume.”
One of those professors was Dr. Glenda Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychology Counseling.
“I have yet to find the words to describe my sincere appreciation for Dr. Johnson,” said Craig.
“If ‘practice how you perform’ was a person, it would be her,” he noted. “Dr. Johnson has and will always be my standard for professionalism in this field.”
“As a fellow HBCU graduate and member of the Divine Nine, she understood my unique background and did what she could to support me during my time at App State,” he added. “Seeing a black woman with a Ph.D. coming from a similar background as I had empowered me when I was the only black student in my program at the time. There are not enough words in the English language to tell her thank you for the positive impact she has had in my life.”
For Johnson, teaching Calvin was “a joy and a pleasure.”
“He always came to class prepared and actively engaged in the classroom discussions and experiential activities,” said Johnson. “Calvin has a great sense of humor, and his fellow cohort members, and I greatly appreciated the energy this brought to our three-hour courses.”
In addition to being one of Johnson’s students, Craig was her graduate assistant, helping her with diversity recruitment for the program as well as serving as the president of Chi Sigma Iota, a counseling honor society of which Johnson was the faculty advisor.
“During Calvin's time at App State, he demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. I am very proud of Calvin for being selected as an NCSCA Emerging Leader,” said Johnson. “There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue his leadership trajectory throughout his professional career.”
“During Calvin's time at App State, he demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. I am very proud of Calvin for being selected as an NCSCA Emerging Leader,” said Johnson. “There is no doubt in my mind that he will continue his leadership trajectory throughout his professional career.”
Craig earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Fayetteville State University in 2015 with a concentration in Management Information Systems and his M.A. in Professional School Counseling from Appalachian State University in 2019.
Craig currently works as a school counselor at Rolesville Middle School. His main areas of research are college and career readiness, creating equitable school experiences for all students, and responsible social media use for students.
Calvin Craig
