Courtney Thomas is currently employed with Hinds Community College as Director of Student Services. He also serves as a member of the Mental Health Crisis Intervention Team and Tittle 9 Deputy on his college campus. He is a proud graduate of Alcorn State University and is currently working to complete the last phase of his Doctorate in Professional Counseling at Mississippi College. His current job responsibilities at Hinds Community College consist of assisting students with both acceptable standards of campus conduct and community interaction as adults. Courtney also assists in the management of certain aspects of the operational budgets of respective divisions. He supports the student life program at large, provides leadership and supervision for the student body government, resident assistants, office staff, and a cadre of volunteers that work in several capacities.

Courtney has an extensive background and passion in working with children and adolescents from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

He specializes in providing clear solutions in problems that create potential educational and mental health barriers. During his previous employment with Catholic Charities Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program, he served as Director of Group Home Living. He was able to work closely with children from all over the world that sought refuge from highly traumatic environments. The core focus of this program was to assist youth in achieving social self-sufficiency and to provide them with the overall tools and nurture needed in their gradual transition into adulthood.

A key URM Program responsibility that Courtney was tasked with was to ensure that all eligible unaccompanied minor populations received the full range of assistance, care and services that were available within his group home settings.  In order for this to happen, established authorities for children were legally put in place to fulfill the roles of an unavailable parent(s). The programs encouraged reunification of children with their parents and/or other adult relatives as deemed appropriate. This was accomplished through family tracing and coordination with local refugee resettlement agencies. When reunifications, however, were not possible, each program worked to design a case-specific permanency plan for each minor or youth in care. Other additional services provided within his group home setting included the following: Indirect financial support for housing, food, clothing, medical care and other necessities, Intensive case management by social workers, independent living skills training, educational training vouchers, English language training, career/college counseling and training, mental health services,  assistance adjusting immigration status, cultural & recreational activities, support for social integration and cultural and religious preservation.

Courtney has always believed in demonstrating and regularly living out his advice to others in his personal life.

He feels that every young person benefits from visual aid and modeling instructed behavior as opposed to teaching that is void of reinforced examples. His experiences have taught him that there is no greater joy than working towards and witnessing growth in the community that one serves. He believes that every young person in the world should be equipped and trained to become self-sufficient while in their early years of development. He also believes that adults within the community should come together for a common cause and prioritize the development of their youth. Being a part of the Youth of Africa Career Development Program is a dream come true for Courtney. He fully embraces the opportunity to advance the development of Africa’s youth one teen at a time.