Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40-10:30 AM

Black belongingness unfurled, Men collegians of African descent use cyber bonding play to traverse Hispanic-serving Institutions | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 3.114 Executive Conference | Dr. Byran Hotchkins | Texas Tech University

Pillars Addressed: Leadership

This session provides a dedicated space for participants to engage in a “belonging” (Strayhorn, 2012, 2019) discussion about how the usage of cyberbonding play contributes to leadership development within historically Black co-curricular organizations. Strayhorn (2019) stated belongingness is “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of connectedness, and the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and important to the campus community or others on campus such as faculty, staff, and peers” (p. 4). Cyberbonding play is defined as “the act of building protective alliances through the exploration of digital and physical play contexts where participants are informed about how to navigate virtual and actual world settings,” (Hotchkins, 2023, p. 4). The following four session goals will be achieved: 1) Participants will use educational journey maps, a research method tantamount to portraiture, to visually explain their undergraduate educational trajectories; 2) Participants will describe how videogame knowledge informed their holistic identity-based belonging; 3) Participants will identify and share organizational leadership best practices applied within meetings, and during philanthropical efforts; and 4) Specifically, we will examine personal practices of support that speak to the sustained maintenance of belongingness as a central component of student success, including self-care, self-preservation and friendship building. Return to Top

Multicultural Leadership starts with ME | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 1.402 Auditorium | Frank Castro | National Compadres Network

Pillars Addressed: Leadership

Culture shapes the way we work and play, and it makes a difference in how we view ourselves and others. It affects our values—what we consider right and wrong. This is how the society we live in influences our choices. But our choices can also influence others and ultimately help shape our society. As leaders, we are constantly negotiating our decisions and weighing them for the value they produce and the efficiency of our effort. Leadership requires a strong foundation, with very essential skills sets being constantly tested for its effectiveness from both those who will be leading and those being led. As leaders, we must be willing to be challenged to gain confidence, and in turn challenge others in the same way. This session will look at how culture truly influences our decision-making and how to utilize these influences to gain a better understanding of those you will lead. Return to Top

Preparing for a Career the Health Professions: Why Applying to SHPEP Should Be Your First Step | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 3.116 | Tony Mancuso & Harold Baker | Association of American Medical Colleges

Pillars Addressed: College & Career Readiness

The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is a free six-week transformative summer experience for freshman and sophomore college students interested in the health professions. This six-week enrichment program is offered at 12 program sites across the country. Although curriculum details and dates vary by program site, each program participant will have the opportunity to spend the summer exploring a range of health careers, including dentistry, medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. The program admits nearly 1,000 students each year and has an alumni base of over 30,000!

Since 1989, SHPEP has implemented its targeted outreach and recruitment efforts with the objective of increasing the health professions school acceptance rates for applicants from historically underrepresented communities. Data emphasizes that programs like SHPEP are critical to increasing diversity in the health professions; SHPEP is an effective program for changing the lack of representation of underrepresented communities in healthcare. SHPEP scholars have a legacy of success: over 65% of scholars who apply to medical or dental school are accepted, and over 78% of scholars earn advanced degrees.

In our proposed session, we will discuss how SHPEP can strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of students underrepresented in the health professions. This session will also cover the fact that every student’s path into the health professions is unique, the influence SHPEP had on their careers, and offer advice on how to get past barriers that face underrepresented students. Return to Top

Reflections of Health and Wellness: A Path to Self-Discovery | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 3.112B | Mark Chavez & Jaime Saucedo | Texas State University

Pillars Addressed: Brotherhood, Leadership, Health & Wellness, Identity

Men of color are often expected to carry themselves in certain ways that can adversely impacted (informed) the way in which they operate within their social, professional, and personal circles. If left unchecked, the manifestation of dishonest habits can lead to the misalignment of our practices with our values and beliefs, separation from our support systems, and a misunderstanding of our own sense of self. Through the utilization of the Social Action, Leadership, and Transformation Model, this session aims to guide participants through an understanding of how to implement holistic approaches to health and wellness as they apply within their communities they serve, their leadership practices, and their own personal journeys. Return to Top

Sin Verguenza: Seeking support and accepting help without shame | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 2.120 | Rita Hernandez | Del Mar College

Pillars Addressed: Health & Wellness

College can be an exciting and empowering time for students and their families. It can also come with overwhelming stress that is compounded by challenging life circumstances. This session will provide student participants the ability to recognize thoughts, feelings and behaviors that show up during their college experience, the ability to recognize risk factors of suicide, learn how to respond to others with empathy and understanding while explore their own help seeking behaviors. Data related to collegiate mental health will be presented. Sharing her lived experience of suicide loss and as a licensed mental health professional, the presenter aims to normalize support seeking behavior specifically for men of color, Sin Verguenza. Return to Top

Law School 101: Getting to and through law school | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 2.302 | Justin Rosas | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Pillars Addressed: College & Career Readiness

This session will go through the path of becoming an attorney. We will discuss:

– Preparation for law school in undergrad;

– The LSAT/law school application process;

– Choosing the right law school for you;

– Practice tips for being successful in law school;

– Tackling the Bar exam;

– A general run down of the practice of law;

– Different careers in the law; and

– Deciding whether a legal career is right for you. Return to Top

Critical Mentoring in K-12 Spaces | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 1.118 | Clint LaFuente | UT Austin

Pillars Addressed: Leadership

According to research, there are societal and educational factors that keep males of color from reaching their educational goals at the K-12 level and beyond. For this reason, educational researchers have identified what those factors are, and they have developed curricula and pedagogies to address such factors.

These curricula and pedagogies extend into the realm of mentoring, too. That is what we will be exploring today. Return to Top

My Brothers Keepers | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP 1.106| Rickie Clark | STEP

Pillars Addressed: Brotherhood

Teaching young men of color to become responsible men is a priority of MBK. Our culture has always embraced the practice that men should teach boys how to become responsible men. The first organized practice of this discipline can be found in West Africa and is called a Rites of Passage. The accountability they share as they master these practices forms a brotherhood; centralized codes and principles created can strengthen the bond of manhood. These principles and practices of manhood can be traced as far back as the Cushite Empire. The culmination of this knowledge and wisdom brought forth the greatest effort as master builders, manifested as the great pyramid of Giza. This knowledge was passed on as we navigated our way into America and beyond. This discussion will be a power point presentation on the discussion above. Return to Top

Courageously Leading Emerging Scholars of Color Into the Academy | Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40AM – WCP Ballroom 2.410 | Dr. José Del Real Viramontes, UC Riverside & Dr. Lazaro Camacho, University of Rhode Island

Today, 26% of tenure-track faculty are faculty of color. Even with the recent growth of tenure-track faculty of color, most women and faculty of color occupy the lowest-ranking faculty positions in academia. For example, 35% of assistant professors, 26% of associate professors, and 22% of full professors are faculty of color. In this session, participants will learn about the graduate school to the professoriate pipeline and what the Project MALES Graduate Scholars Program, a cohort-based program that supports the academic and career advancement of emerging scholars whose research is focused on improving the educational outcomes of boys and men of color, is doing to enhance the number of faculty of color who are competitive to obtain a tenure-track position. At the end of this session, participants will have a better understanding of the experiences of emerging scholars in the academy, including how to navigate and negotiate the job market, learn strategies for publishing in academic journals, and understand the key components of developing a strong application for the tenure-track job market. Return to Top

Fri, Aug 9 – 9:40-10:30 AM

College Track Sessions (for 2-year & 4-year college students)

College-Bound Track Sessions (for middle & high school students)

Professionals