Conference Targets Latino and African American High School Males
More than 800 11th and 12th grade males from local high schools will be introduced to many college and career options available to them when Fullerton College hosts the Third Annual Males Achieving Success (MAS) Conference on Thursday, Jan. 18.
The conference, which is spearheaded by the Office of Educational Partnerships and High School Outreach at Fullerton College, targets male students from local high schools to help address the achievement gap for African American and Latino males in higher education. The conference is an extension of the work being done at many local high schools and will include an array of diverse speakers that promote higher education, career exploration, and self-development.
“The MAS conference creates an opportunity for high school males to visualize themselves on a college campus and gives them the chance to hear from role models and presenters who will hopefully ignite a fire in them to pursue higher education,” said Fullerton College Counselor Rolando Sanabria.
Workshops offered during the conference will include “Non-traditional Paths to a College Degree,” “How Do Stereotypes Impact Latino Youth and What Can We Do About It?” and “Males in Education, Counseling and Social Work” to name a few.
A keynote address will be given by speaker and life coach Caliph Assagai. Assagai has received honors and recognitions such as the Sacramento Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 and the Chancellor’s Award of Merit from UC Davis. Assagai’s mission is to help others create a vision for their ideal lives, develop the confidence and mindset to pursue that vision and make dreams a reality. A graduate of UCLA School of Law, Assagai earned specializations in critical race studies, and public interest law and policy with a research emphasis on juvenile justice policy.
“Our hope is that when these young men leave the conference, they’ll have a better understanding of the value of education and will be able to identify with some of the speakers who may have overcome great odds to be where they’re at right now,” Sanabria said.
The MAS outreach program targets male students at Anaheim, Loara, Katella and Gilbert high schools. The program provides educational workshops, tours of the Fullerton College campus, and prepares students for enrollment at the college. The MAS Conference also extended invitations to students throughout multiple high school districts such as, Fullerton Joint Union, Garden Grove, Norwalk-La Mirada, Placentia-Yorba Linda and Whittier Union high school districts.
For more information on the MAS Conference contact the Office of Educational Partnerships and High School Outreach at 714-992-7250.
