A 2018 graduate of Salisbury University, Harrison Leon has been able to encapsulate the meaning of “Make Tomorrow Yours.” A Philadelphia native, Leon came to Salisbury in hopes of being a top player on the men’s lacrosse team. Following a major injury though, he decided to quit the team and focus on building his academic resume. Leon described his extracurricular activities as “anything and everything.” He majored in conflict analysis and dispute resolution with a focus on sociology courses. Leon was a founding editor of the Laridae Journal. This journal publishes undergraduate research from students under various majors and programs at Salisbury. Throughout his college career, he also worked in the Provost’s Office, maintaining academic affairs and functions on campus. Leon also frequently wrote for the Clarke Honors College Newsletter, being able to have a creative outlet outside of his rigorous school work.
PACE was a major memory of his college career. Among his list of major accomplishments at SU, Leon was a founding member of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. He was able to be a member of the Presidential Citizen Scholars program collaborating with students from different majors to combat social issues in the Salisbury area.
For more information on the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, click here.
To learn more about the Presidential Citizen Scholars program, click here.
Leon’s fondest memory of collaborating with PACE at SU was being able to attend a civic engagement conference in Towson. This conference held students from all public universities of Maryland. Students were able to sit in on sessions with various committees that strive for civic engagement. Leon looks back on these memories, expressing how “civic engagement needs to be prioritized.” Through PACE’s initiatives, students can learn about how civic engagement can be conducted for students leading into their professional lives.
Interested in learning more about PACE? Click here.
Following graduation, Leon volunteered for AmeriCorps for two years before attending graduate school. AmeriCorps was able to provide him with work that had a purpose behind it. The organizations that partner with them relate to bettering the greater Salisbury area. Leon shared, “It is great for students who are unsure of their next career steps and want to give back to communities.” This initiative is intended for any student who wants to work with the service embedded in its mission statement.
For more information on ShoreCorps, the AmeriCorps program at SU, click here.
Leon is currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University studying public policy and business management. While he obtains his degree, he is a lingering fellow for technology focusing on the future of work and equitable AI. With the development of technology, jobs are being replaced with AI in various work fields. To protect the jobs of individuals, the company Leon is working with strives to develop a policy that supports those who have had jobs displaced by AI. Along with this, he is also developing tools that will help workers respond to these technological impacts.
Leon has been developing material to identify skills that are needed for each job sector and find employable figures. Through census data, companies can access training that looks at demographic application pools. Companies are also able to target certain marginalized groups who have a lower chance of getting hired. This applies to women and people of color in fields traditionally dominated by white male candidates. His work is inspired by the foundation built at SU with several PACE initiatives. Leon knows the importance of advocating for individuals who face adversity and will help shape the future of the workforce through his research.