BusinessPRnews.com: Your seminar starts with testing. Everyone?
Richelle: “Everyone takes the assessments, even if they already know what they want to do. It’s very eye-opening. I took it at 38 years old just to see what happens, what it says. It confirmed everything I do. It solidified what I knew about myself already. For a young person it helps them see the different scope of what a person can be. A lot of times kids have a fear of being different. This test alone shows them that being different is completely fine.”
BusinessPRnews.com: So THAT test is the starting point.
Richelle: “It’s one of the starting points. Eagle U starts with self confidence. There are a lot of kids…their self confidence is completely fine. But there are many of kids who are lacking in this area. Many issues and challenges with kids can be linked in some way to a lack of self confidence. Then there are the kids who appear to have all the self-confidence in the world but deep down they don’t.
We have a lot of pageant girls who come to the program: Miss USA’s, Miss Americas. Most people think these girls have the highest levels of self-confidence. They are beautiful, poised, eloquent and very intelligent. They’ve been trained to do what they do. And yet when they come to Eagle U, we talk about where self confidence comes from and what value they have placed on themselves. It turns out many of them don’t have the self confidence they thought they had.”
BusinessPRnews.com: So you begin by delving deep.
Richelle: “Yes, we definitely delve DEEP…but that’s where you make the biggest difference in their lives. That’s the reason why our leadership skills last. These kids leave Eagle U and the results last for years. I get emails from students saying they attended Eagle U ten years ago and they want to tell me about the great things that have happened and what they’re doing now and how Eagle U changed their lives forever.”
Eagle U accepts ages 14 to 25. Students are grouped according to their age and where they are in school. Various universities host the seminars all over the US and Canada but Eagle U is not affiliated with any university and is totally independent. Some well-known Universities that have hosted Eagle U are Pepperdine in Malibu, UCLA, and Georgetown University. Locally, they have been to TCU, SMU, and will be at Texas Woman’s University this summer.
We asked Richelle what do kids experience in the seminar?
Richelle: “It’s a VERY intense six days. We go sunup to sundown and then some. They don’t go anywhere else. They’re not allowed off campus. It’s really intensive. The thing is they are learning the whole time. But they are having so much fun while they do it. Kids LOVE Eagle U! They have so much fun. It’s a learning environment that’s positive and fun at the same time.”
BusinessPRnews.com: That is the ideal way to learn. How do you accomplish that?
Richelle: “Well a lot of it is the people you hire. If you can get someone who can present in a fun and interactive way, it will hold their attention - they’re going to learn at the same time. One of the many skills we teach is study skills. Now if you tell kids you are going to teach them “study skills” you’ve already lost them. So we ask them, “Who is ready to learn how to spend less time studying and get better grades?” THEY’RE IN! It’s fun. Really, interactive presentations are the biggest part.
The other thing about Eagle U is it’s hard to describe. It is really powerful and it really does change a young person’s perspective about life and about the choices they’re making and everything they need to do to be successful. How do you describe THAT? If every parent could see what I see at Eagle U…they would be beating my door down. Seriously, they would. It’s that incredible.”
BusinessPRnews.com: What is the cost of the program?
Richelle: “The cost depends on the university we attend but average is about $2500 for the seminar. That is all inclusive; food, lodging, materials. I’ve recently applied for 501( c )( 3 ) non-profit, to provide scholarships for underprivileged kids.”
BusinessPRnews.com: Any personal stories you can tell us?
Richelle: (pause) “Miss South Carolina Teen USA came in when she was eighteen. She was just a total joy to be around; beautiful, intelligent, a great kid. At Eagle U she realized that she was doing everything in her life based upon what people expected of her; to be in pageants, to be a model and actress. But that was not really where her passion was.
When she took the time to really look deep into what she wanted for her life, she was able to gain some perspective as to what steps she needed to take. After Eagle U, this young lady moved from L.A. to Texas, where she actually came to work for Eagle U for a while. She was awesome. I tried to keep her but she had other passions to pursue. Now she attends the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, but is already a youth minister. That is where her passion really was.”
BusinessPRnews.com: Do you keep in touch with her?
Richelle: “Oh yes. She even comes back to Eagle U and she speaks from time to time.”
BusinessPRnews.com: If there is one message you want to say to parents, what is it?
Richelle: “Young people’s lives are a lot harder than they were when we were teenagers. They’re faced with more choices and more challenges than we had. Part of the reason is because they have too much. Their options are endless. Things have changed over the years.
Eagle U gives kids a sense of who they are and how to enjoy being themselves. Eagle U teaches them the value of standing up for who they are and to make the right decisions, make the right choices. Eagle U wants the same things for these kids that their parents want. But we’re an OUTSIDE source. We get listened to a lot easier because we’re not the parents.”
Business PR News: Thank you, Richelle for taking the time to tell us the value of what you do for young people and their parents. And thank you for supporting your VIP membership with this interview and sharing your success with all of us.
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