During this busy graduation season, I got a chance to take part in a commencement service myself. No. Neither of my kids is old enough to be graduating high school. But, I did finish the most recent Leadership Vicksburg program and my class graduated Wednesday during a service held at the Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce’s May luncheon at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Leadership Vicksburg, the program accepts a handful of people each year from businesses and organizations around Vicksburg and Warren County and works toward improving their leadership skills, adding to their knowledge of the community and preparing them for taking on larger roles after graduating from the program.

One of the ways the program achieves these goals is by taking members of the class to different places around the city and county — as well as on a trip to the state capitol in Jackson — over the course of nine months to allow them to learn about all of the different aspects of our home. From business and industry at places like Ergon, to government operations ranging from the City of Vicksburg and the Warren County Board of Supervisors to a tour of ERDC, the program really allows you to see parts of the place we call home that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit.

Another way the program promotes continued leadership is through community programs each class starts and then maintains following graduation. For my class of 20, we were broken down into four smaller groups that each designed, built and promoted its own project. For my group, Beautiful Horizons, we focused on partnering with the city for more annual cleanup days that will also include local business and organizations. But other groups had projects that included building an app made specifically for Vicksburg; creating a coding program for local students; and helping entrepreneurs and small business owners get off the ground.

But as much as I learned about my community during the nearly yearlong experience, I benefitted just as much from the wonderful folks I met through the class. As I said, there were 20 of us. And we came from an amazingly diverse cross-section of the community. So, whether it was because a person was in my small group, because a person became my buddy when we waded into the Mississippi River during our trip to Tara Wildlife, or because we bonded through any number of other Leadership Vicksburg experiences, I know I’ll keep in contact with many of these guys and gals for years after Wednesday’s official graduation.

So, if you have an employee you think would benefit from the program, or you would like to try it yourself, just give the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce a call and they’ll guide you in the right direction. Giving up one Wednesday a month for nearly a year may seem like a bit of a sacrifice, but you’ll gain so much more in return.

Blake Bell is the general manager and executive editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at blake.bell@vicksburgpost.com.