Chef LaLa Keynotes Education, Leadership, Careers Conference
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(Santa Barbara, Calif.) —The Early Academic Outreach Program at UC Santa Barbara is hosting its second summer Education, Leadership, Careers Conference. This one-day event is Thursday, June 30, 2011 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at UC Santa Barbara.
Students will have a keynote presentation and then go to break out rooms across the campus to hear from three (3) different professional guest speakers in three 30 minute “speed mentoring” sessions wherein speakers will talk about their own education, leadership, and career experiences. Participating students will also go on campus tours, visit labs, and see various departments that will showcase UCSB sustainability initiatives during the afternoon. Some students will also participate in building a scale model solar powered car and then race them to demonstrate concepts of renewable energy and conservation. The conference will culminate with a UCSB student panel that will feature current students talking about their college experiences, student sustainability initiatives, and the pursuit of their educational, leadership, and career goals.
The conference starts at Harold Frank Hall at 9:00-9:35 AM with registration and then the Opening Session Keynote Speaker Chef LaLa, Celebrity Chef/Owner of “Savor!” Catering, (9:35-9:55 AM). The conference will host over 200 incoming 9th grade students from Carpinteria, Fillmore, South (Bakersfield), Lompoc, and Santa Maria High Schools that are currently attending the UCSB EAOP Summer Algebra Academies (SAA). Students will learn about the benefits of higher education and how it can open doors to career opportunities that often represent their dreams coming true. Students will also learn from professional guest speakers that many successful people come from humble beginnings and have worked hard and continued to educate themselves for opportunity and success throughout their lives. All the guest speakers are former first generation college bound students themselves.
Guest Speakers include: Keynote Speaker Chef LaLa, Celebrity Chef/Owner of “Savor!” Catering; the District Director for Assembly member Das Williams of the 35th District (Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios); SB School District Board Member (Monique Limon); the Administrator for Civil Service Advocacy Dept. of Human Resources / County of LA (UCSB ’84); an Area Manager for CA PST AT&T Corporate Real Estate (UCSB ’84); an LA Convention Center Events Coordinator (UCSB ’06); and an entrepreneur and Coach from ELACC. Other speakers include an independent organizational consultant; SB City Parks and Rec Outreach Services Coordinator; and a clinical psychologist and Chicana/o Studies professor from Palomar College.
Britt A. Ortiz, Director of UCSB EAOP, described the intentions behind the conference, “Our goal is to inspire, mentor, and challenge the participating students to be their personal best everyday and become the future leaders of California and this Country through a strong education, leadership, and pursuing the career of their dreams.” Mr. Ortiz also commented, “We want the students to understand that many successful adults were just like them when they were young and that they were the first in their families to go to college and become professionals.”
The Summer Algebra Academies (SAA) are designed to improve basic algebra and math skills, teach students how to adopt a college going culture into their lives by setting career goals and understanding the college preparation process, and to engage parents about college readiness, financial aid, and how to best support their students aspirations for higher education.
